Read 'what color is your parachute' to figure out your direction and drive then read 'how to live on 24 hours a day' to figure out how you are going to fit it in.
Ask HN: Burned out. How can I make the most of a sabbatical leave?
21–30 of 115 posts
Re: Ask HN: Burned out. How can I make the most of a sabbatical leave?
#22Travel - Go somewhere that makes zero sense. It will make sense when you get there and when you leave. Athletics - Pick something that is so far out of your reach that it doesn't make sense why you would do it. For example, I just signed up for a double-marathon without having ever done a marathon first.
That's kind of scary. How would I know that I'm not setting myself up for failure by putting up an impossible goal like that?
Maybe failure at something really hard wouldn't be so bad. I saw a movie once about a bike race north-south along the continental divide. Most who started quit at some point, but they didn't seem like failures to me.
Anyway, good luck. I bet you won't know what you want to do with your time until you've had some time to decompress first, so maybe just start with no plan.
Re: Ask HN: Burned out. How can I make the most of a sabbatical leave?
#23After my burnout, I quit my job at Microsoft. Rented my house. Paid $2000 for a bright orange vw bus, and drove south.
I ended up at Esalen for almost 6 months in their work/study program
http://www.esalen.org/workshops/workstudy.html
I worked in an organic garden overlooking the pacific picking/planting food that we ate the same day for 32 hours a week.
And had cheap access to incredible massage/yoga/healing programs, and the support of intelligent and conscious people who were also trying to find their center again.
Best thing I ever did, and I highly recommend it.
My advice: Give yourself time. I believe we are all fundamentally good and have the will and energy to work and express ourselves in the world. Sometimes, it's ok to rest and step back, and find our grounding again. Give yourself that permission.
Re: Ask HN: Burned out. How can I make the most of a sabbatical leave?
#24And so I stop. These aren't real goals; I recognize them as daydreaming. I'm already defeated before I've even begun. And thats where you're going wrong. There's nothing stopping you from doing a single thing on your list besides you. Sometimes being naive about what it will take to accomplish something is actually whats needed to do it. Not to mention most of the things on your list, while amazing experiences, take…
For bike trip advice check out all the blogs on www.crazyguyonabike.com there are inspirational trips there, and amazong how cheaply it can be done. 7k dollar to cycle japan to britain in two years... Not bad hey! Just do it.
Re: Ask HN: Burned out. How can I make the most of a sabbatical leave?
#25The key to happiness is variety. Ignoring health, emotion, free time or work completely in favor of another will always end disastrously. Our brain naturally tends towards equilibrium and keeping it tipped for too long is not worth it. It's better to take a day or a couple days off here and there when sprinting then to let it crash and have to result in a year sabbatical. Find something else enjoyable and focus on that until things return to normal. Once you get grounded again make sure and pepper your life with other things that keep you happy (for me, for instance, music, gym and grilling are the things that keep me sane). I've been there before and realized I had been doing myself a disservice by ignoring aspects of my life under the assumption "it would all pay off". It might... but if it doesn't you're screwed.
Re: Ask HN: Burned out. How can I make the most of a sabbatical leave?
#26I recommend that you see a therapist. My therapist's practice is mindfullness-based, which I highly recommend. One of the things I've learned is how to look at all my own italicized parenthetical statements as the bullshit excuses they are. The monkey-mind is what's making up all those stories that you tell yourself about why X is impossible -- it's telling you that you can't possibly found a startup because you've had difficulties refactoring some Java? Come on now. Just pick one of those goals and go for it. Don't pay attention to any of your excuses.
A wise friend once told me "If someone else can do it, you can totally do it."
Re: Ask HN: Burned out. How can I make the most of a sabbatical leave?
#27Travel.
1) Your problem will be there for a few days but will most likely be forgotten in weeks.
2) Bring a notebook, write your journeys in detail. The food you eat, the tea you drink.
3) Observe local culture.
4) Take a lot of pictures.
Basically, try to forget your day job.
If you travel, I'd suggest you to go to Asia (Japan, Korea, China, India, and SE. Asia countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia). Go to a place with rich culture. Spend a few weeks or even months there.
Those pictures and stories would hopefully make you feel better on your gloomy days.
I've been living in North America for almost 10 years (in particular Vancouver) and the cities get boring quickly. Lack of personality and culture. Asia is completely different; more vibrant.
More importantly: change your perspective on how to live life.
Re: Ask HN: Burned out. How can I make the most of a sabbatical leave?
#28And so I stop. These aren't real goals; I recognize them as daydreaming. I'm already defeated before I've even begun. And thats where you're going wrong. There's nothing stopping you from doing a single thing on your list besides you. Sometimes being naive about what it will take to accomplish something is actually whats needed to do it. Not to mention most of the things on your list, while amazing experiences, take…
> You could be biking across Canada by Tuesday and $1500 later if you wanted to.
No. He needs to practice riding and get in better shape for a month or three first. But he can start doing that tomorrow.
Don't go riding cross country without some practice first, some fitness, and some knowledge of things like patching a flat tire.
Re: Ask HN: Burned out. How can I make the most of a sabbatical leave?
#29have you tried yoga? Especially Bikram Yoga. I find that this amazing practice can fix almost anything physically and mentally.
Re: Ask HN: Burned out. How can I make the most of a sabbatical leave?
#30I think you're already on the right way with classical music, long walks, reading books, etc. (except for the Internet addiction). I guess if you keep on doing things you like you will recover. All the best to you.