Ask HN: Those who have taken extended time off, any advice?

I have done this 3 times previously (~1.5 years) and am 7 months into my current stint. It can be very monotonous and requires a great deal of self-discipline. I am fortunate that my spouse earns enough for our needs.

-- My Story --

For my first two times, I had my next role lined up but took 2-3 months before starting. I spent this time travelling and learning/researching.

For my third time, I took a year long sabbatical offered by my employer. I pursued my own research and spent a lot of time with my child.

Right now, I am 7 months into a 2? year stint to pursue my own research and augment my child's learning.

-- Some Advice --

0. Honestly ask yourself if this is for you. If you have issues with self-actualizing, budgeting, socializing, etc, then maybe this isn't the right time in your life for this.

1. Try to be clear about why you want to do this. The time goes by quickly and it can be helpful to periodically reorient towards what is meaningful.

2. Don't expect too much from yourself. The time goes by quickly and you will make yourself miserable if you have some perfect dream of what this time should look like.

3. Be prepared for boredom and loneliness. Your friends are likely still working and there is going to be a huge disparity between your free time versus theirs.

I am approaching one year off right now, and will probably take all of 2021 off. I really love it, but I'm also very introverted. I am working on a dream project, basically before I die I want to build something cool, that's important to me.

I think the most important thing is keep an eye on your runway, and if/when you need to get back into the work force, make sure you're still on top of whatever it is you do. For me, building this project has enabled me to stay in touch with tech trends in my field.

We are getting our health insurance through the US marketplace. If you are also American, the recent covid relief bill dropped the prices of plans by a good deal. Our premium is now 30% cheaper.

I took a year off after my first job. I got bored after six month and tried to start a company with friends. That did not go well.

Make sure your finances are in order and that you have enough money to go for significantly longer than you intent to (in case of a bad job market, difficulty finding a job, unexpected emergency, etc.). I had two years worth of living expenses covered and had a plan to go for up to five years if needed at reduced spending. Don't forget account for health insurance in your budget since you'll need to either buy your own or pay the full COBRA amount.

I second this advice, having done it. I flew one-way from Seattle to Dublin in 2010 with no plan beyond the first week. 25ish cities and 4.5 months later, I flew back. You'll figure it out as you go.

But, a warning from experience: when you fly one-way to another country where you'll go through immigration, always pre-book travel OUT of that country as well, and have printed (on paper!) proof to show border control. Fortunately this doesn't apply between most European countries due to the Shengen area. Immigration is not the part of the trip where you want to wing it. Always make sure you understand the visa and border crossing rules in advance.

No, getting away physically definitely has an impact that can’t be achieved without physically leaving.