Taking a 6 month sabbatical from work

[scho63]

It has been 17 years since I've had a real vacation and I'm burnt out. Since I left Silicon Valley in late 2001-early 2002 I have been on this never ending yo-yo of extreme highs and lows. At nearly 54 years old, I've faced a lot of self reflection of what I want out of the remaining part of my life, whatever that may be.

After working for 14 companies in that time and almost six with my current employer, I've decided to resign from a $100,000+ job and move to Scottsdale AZ to take a 6 month sabbatical from any and all work. My only job for the next half of year is to lose 75-100 pounds, get a great tan, and improve my golf game so I can have a 8 or 9 handicap again.

I'm leaving around the 16th or so of this month and spending a week or so driving out visiting friends along the way I know from my childhood.

While it was really scary to walk away from a great job to go to a place with no job, no home and just one or two friends there, I am really excited to be entering a new chapter in my life.

It is a short ride we are on so you better enjoy it along the way!

[TribalElder]

Originally Posted by scho63

It is a short ride we are on so you better enjoy it along the way!

Awesome

I think that is a great idea, enjoy today


I'm fascinated by this, could you elaborate on your financial strategy

Like renting a house or did you buy one to flip ? Couch surfing

Congratulations, I hope to do something like this someday

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by Iowanian

Good luck.

I took today off. Spent most of it driving back from a man trip this weekend. I rarely do that taking a day off to do something for me.

I think I'm going to try to do a little more of that.


I just realized I spent 3hrs of my day off on conference calls.

Here too. Not the conference calls, but on the every day shit. I have tried to work out some times where I could get the hell out. After picking up the paycheck on the first, I haven't heard a word from our hired man.



I think given the fact that prices are in the shitter, I think I'm out on getting anyone new. Nevermind.

Originally Posted by Iowanian

I'm working until noon on the day of my funeral.

Pretty sure I'm going to be late trying to get one last quarter knocked out.

[wazu]

Sounds incredible. Good luck!

[Chief_For_Life58]

Man that's sweet. Congrats on pulling that trigger and treatin yoself

[scho63]

Originally Posted by mikeyis4dcats.

I'm down 17# in 6 weeks, and I'm not adhering strictly. My wife has dropped 60# in 15 weeks.

Wow, great for her! She doing any exercise as well?

[scho63]

Originally Posted by TribalElder

Awesome
I think that is a great idea, enjoy today
I'm fascinated by this, could you elaborate on your financial strategy
Like renting a house or did you buy one to flip ? Couch surfing
Congratulations, I hope to do something like this someday

I'm going to take off at least 5-6 months with NO work. I may do some volunteer stuff from time to time.

My goal is to go to the gym EVERYDAY for 3-4 hours at a 24 hour gym, then sleep at the pool during the day getting a tan, eating healthy, renting a room with a private bath in a house at around $500 a month. I'll play golf at least 4 times a month.

I have no debt except my car and it's only $12,000 +/-

I can live comfortably on $1,500 a month. I have enough money to easily make 6 months.

Then around month 4-5 I will start planning on what I want to do in my next job and go full speed ahead.

[ChiefGator]

That is awesome. This year is all about "Money, Money, Money" for me, so I can quit my day job next year around March at the latest.

Then I will be working for myself and building my company, but with no employees some of the suggestions for structure and such in this thread are useful. I have been looking at some co-work office space downtown so I don't end up sitting in my pajamas programming at home all day.

[Omaha]

Originally Posted by scho63

It has been 17 years since I've had a real vacation and I'm burnt out. Since I left Silicon Valley in late 2001-early 2002 I have been on this never ending yo-yo of extreme highs and lows. At nearly 54 years old, I've faced a lot of self reflection of what I want out of the remaining part of my life, whatever that may be.

After working for 14 companies in that time and almost six with my current employer, I've decided to resign from a $100,000+ job and move to Scottsdale AZ to take a 6 month sabbatical from any and all work. My only job for the next half of year is to lose 75-100 pounds, get a great tan, and improve my golf game so I can have a 8 or 9 handicap again.

I'm leaving around the 16th or so of this month and spending a week or so driving out visiting friends along the way I know from my childhood.

While it was really scary to walk away from a great job to go to a place with no job, no home and just one or two friends there, I am really excited to be entering a new chapter in my life.

It is a short ride we are on so you better enjoy it along the way!

This x 1,000!!! I love this! Get your mind and body right and then find the right balance. I know it's cliche, but nobody ever looks back on his life and wishes he'd worked more. I try to remind myself of this every day.

[B_Ambuehl]

I'd lighten up a bit on the exercise goals. No need to train like a maniac when shedding excess fat. You can only shed fat so fast, rapid weight loss will be a ton of lost muscle. After an initial big drop in water weight an average of 2 lbs fat loss per week is about the max, which really doesn't take much. That's a combination of 500 less calories consumed per day and 500 more calories burned per day, which is about a couple beers & a small potato less on the diet end and an hour walk on the exercise end. Training for 3 hours a day and dieting sound great when you're full of energy, but overtraining & overdieting can quickly turn you into a depressed zombie & won't give you more rapid results anyway.

[mikeyis4dcats.]

Originally Posted by scho63

Wow, great for her! She doing any exercise as well?

nope, just walking, she gets about 8-10k steps a day

[mikeyis4dcats.]

exercise is good for keepig your body young, but it doesn't do much to lose weight. You have to walk 1.5 miles to burn off 100 calories. You'll never lose weight through exercise. It has to be done with portion control.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by B_Ambuehl

I'd lighten up a bit on the exercise goals. No need to train like a maniac when shedding excess fat. You can only shed fat so fast, rapid weight loss will be a ton of lost muscle. After an initial big drop in water weight an average of 2 lbs fat loss per week is about the max, which really doesn't take much. That's a combination of 500 less calories consumed per day and 500 more calories burned per day, which is about a couple beers & a small potato less on the diet end and an hour walk on the exercise end. Training for 3 hours a day and dieting sound great when you're full of energy, but overtraining & overdieting can quickly turn you into a depressed zombie & won't give you more rapid results anyway.

Yeah, 3 hours a day is a recipe to get hurt, which undermines the whole goal.

When I went on my big weight loss kick (placing in the top three in the Chiefsplanet TinyEvel Weight Loss Competition), I calculated out the calories and 80 percent of my weight loss was from diet and 20 percent was from exercise. Both helped, but no longer stuffing my face with doughnuts and Dr. Pepper was the main factor.

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by scho63

It has been 17 years since I've had a real vacation and I'm burnt out. Since I left Silicon Valley in late 2001-early 2002 I have been on this never ending yo-yo of extreme highs and lows. At nearly 54 years old, I've faced a lot of self reflection of what I want out of the remaining part of my life, whatever that may be.

After working for 14 companies in that time and almost six with my current employer, I've decided to resign from a $100,000+ job and move to Scottsdale AZ to take a 6 month sabbatical from any and all work. My only job for the next half of year is to lose 75-100 pounds, get a great tan, and improve my golf game so I can have a 8 or 9 handicap again.

I'm leaving around the 16th or so of this month and spending a week or so driving out visiting friends along the way I know from my childhood.

While it was really scary to walk away from a great job to go to a place with no job, no home and just one or two friends there, I am really excited to be entering a new chapter in my life.

It is a short ride we are on so you better enjoy it along the way!

Good Luck. I've been on sabbatical since 2009'ish but going part-time.

[Omaha]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Yeah, 3 hours a day is a recipe to get hurt, which undermines the whole goal.

It depends on what he's doing. 3 hours of weight training each day, maybe, but being active for at least 3 hours a day isn't a bad idea. I could see putting in way more time than that if I didn't have to worry about a pesky job. Lift weights, go for a bike ride, play some pickup basketball, go for a run or a hike, play some racquetball, go swimming, etc. If I didn't have to work, it might be tough to keep it under 3 hours.

[raybec 4]

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

Good Luck. I've been on sabbatical since 2009'ish but going part-time.

That's not a sabbatical, that's just unemployed