Extended sabbatical
A month or more entirely off work, announced well in advance
Not a vacation. Work stops for weeks, publishing stops with it, and everyone who normally depends on you hears about it far enough ahead to cover the load. Self-employed people and small-company founders tend to be the ones who do it, since nobody else is going to put it on the calendar for them. The cost is straightforward: no income from the work not done, and colleagues carrying the difference.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Stephen HackettDoes it
Technology writer · 512 Pixels and Relay
Took a month off in October 2024, away from the shows and the blog, after Relay's tenth year and a demanding stretch at home. He left a lot of days blank between school drop-off and pickup, thanked the people covering for him, and says he is pretty bad at taking time off.
Source: 512 Pixels: Sabbatical“I am pretty bad at taking time off, but hopefully I get the hang of it after the first week or two.”
512 Pixels: Sabbatical (opens in a new tab) · 2 Oct 2024
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under stress or productivity.
- HabitFREE, no cost
Journaling
Writing to unload the mind, usually first thing or last thing
On record from 14 of 62 tracked people: 13 do it, 1 recommends it - HabitFREE, no cost
Deliberate discomfort
Choosing the thing you do not want to do, daily, as its own training
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it, 2 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost
A high savings rate
Bank a large share of income by spending well below what the income allows
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - HabitFREE, no cost
Accountability mirror
Telling yourself the blunt truth in the mirror every day, then fixing it
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Act on the thing causing stress
Make the first call or send the first email on whatever is nagging at you
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Asking for help
Four words, can you help me, used on purpose rather than as a last resort
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it
Habit entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.