Ask HN: What should I plan to do on a 6 month sabbatical?

#1

Post by fred_is_fred » Sun, Nov 13, 2016, 1:46 AM UTC

I will have 6 months off in the spring for a sabbatical. I've been working on a list of things to do during this time. I am constrained by a wife/kids so this won't include a 6 month trip to Thailand or anything. I've considered the obvious, work out more, hike/cycle more, etc. Any other suggestions/recommendations? I'm looking for tech stuff like projects/books/etc but also non-tech stuff as well. I don't want to spend 60+hrs/week at the laptop like I do now.

EDIT: here's my list so far: fishing and fishing knots (I have my grandfather's gear, but lack his skill), cooking more, learning to make great bread, raspberry pi projects with my son, reorganize/layout my garage, improve my golf skills, reading, explore trails I've never been on, visit friends & family (travel), camping/backpacking

Re: Ask HN: What should I plan to do on a 6 month sabbatical?

#2

Post by icey » Sun, Nov 13, 2016, 2:02 AM UTC

Have you thought about picking up any hobbies? Six months would give you plenty of time to learn a hobby and really get into it; you have enough time to try a few. It might be nice to think back on your sabbatical while doing your new hobby in the future.

Re: Ask HN: What should I plan to do on a 6 month sabbatical?

#3

Post by xantroad » Sun, Nov 13, 2016, 2:05 AM UTC

Are there any projects you've always wanted to accomplish but thought you'd never have the time?

Re: Ask HN: What should I plan to do on a 6 month sabbatical?

#4

Post by GuiA » Sun, Nov 13, 2016, 2:06 AM UTC

I am about to embark on a 1.5 month sabbatical - not quite as long as you (I'm jealous!), but here's how I prepared it - perhaps it'll give you ideas.

Over the past few months, I've been keeping a list of things I'd want to focus on. Ultimately, I decided to trim this list to 5 things, because I don't think one can focus on more than 5 things at once. Here they are for me (unranked, equal importance to all):

- Working on my Japanese (I'll be in Japan)

- film photography

- sketching/drawing/painting

- reading

- programming

For the last two items, I've been keeping a list of books to read, and topics to investigate/projects to work on over the past few months as well. Then I trimmed theses lists to end with 1 book per week to read and 1 programming project per week to work on.

Of course, I'm likely to deviate from it, but having these lists and priorities as my guiding star will be helpful.

If I were to do this for 6 months, instead of 1.5 months, I'd probably break it down in 1 month chunks, with varying priorities per month, and a bit of loose time in between said chunks to account for unexpected things/rabbitholes to go down.

I also have a 5 day mountain hiking trip in the middle of it all, because in my experience there's nothing better for your brain than disconnecting absolutely from reality, and centering your days only around walking/eating/sleeping/looking at beautiful landscapes.

Re: Ask HN: What should I plan to do on a 6 month sabbatical?

#5

Post by hoodwink » Sun, Nov 13, 2016, 2:13 AM UTC

icey wrote: post #2

Have you thought about picking up any hobbies? Six months would give you plenty of time to learn a hobby and really get into it; you have enough time to try a few. It might be nice to think back on your sabbatical while doing your new hobby in the future.

Hobbies and skill building are the way to go. I just finished a 12-month sabbatical during which I learned scuba, sailing, skiing, surfing, and the R programming language. I also read 40 non-fiction books.

Just lying on the beach gets boring.

Re: Ask HN: What should I plan to do on a 6 month sabbatical?

#6

Post by jbot29 » Sun, Nov 13, 2016, 2:13 AM UTC

- Learn a new skill/craft. If you are in tech, maybe something more physical, cooking, woodworking,etc. Six months is a good amount of time to build a base.

- Learn a foreign language, again 6 months is a perfect amount of time. Highly rewarding.

- Work on holes in knowledge, build a self-course around it. Algorithms, dbs, whatever.

- Pickup an new programming language.

- Build a side project, doesn't have to be commercially viable, could be open source or not. Build a redis replacement for no other reason than to understand it.

- Travel. I understand the constraint of wife/kids, but there are ways to fit it in. Don't have to live in Southeast Asia, but travel, I feel is a great brain boost. Awesome rush of new.

Re: Ask HN: What should I plan to do on a 6 month sabbatical?

#7

Post by neom » Sun, Nov 13, 2016, 2:20 AM UTC

Consistent, frequent, long, unstructured thinking time. Enjoy listening to your thoughts.

Re: Ask HN: What should I plan to do on a 6 month sabbatical?

#8

Post by dylanz » Sun, Nov 13, 2016, 2:22 AM UTC

neom wrote: post #7

Consistent, frequent, long, unstructured thinking time. Enjoy listening to your thoughts.

That's exactly what I did and I appreciated it SO much. I think taking a break from everything is healthy.

Re: Ask HN: What should I plan to do on a 6 month sabbatical?

#9

Post by krosaen » Sun, Nov 13, 2016, 2:26 AM UTC

Depends on what you are most hungry for. For me this past summer it was to have time off to study without interruption, I absolutely loved it. Also have a family, enjoyed having extra time and flexibility. Took a few vacations.

http://karlrosaen.com/learning-sabbatical/

Re: Ask HN: What should I plan to do on a 6 month sabbatical?

#10

Post by ant6n » Sun, Nov 13, 2016, 2:37 AM UTC

hoodwink wrote: post #5

icey wrote: post #2

Have you thought about picking up any hobbies? Six months would give you plenty of time to learn a hobby and really get into it; you have enough time to try a few. It might be nice to think back on your sabbatical while doing your new hobby in the future.

Hobbies and skill building are the way to go. I just finished a 12-month sabbatical during which I learned scuba, sailing, skiing, surfing, and the R programming language. I also read 40 non-fiction books. Just lying on the beach gets boring.

Any book recommendations?