My modern, self-funded, sabbatical

It did not occur to me overnight.??The idea had been brewing in my mind for a couple of years, but the question was, when would it be the best time to do it?

I had spent 25 years working in manufacturing at factories. Over 20 years in roles directly tied to monthly, quarterly, and yearly revenue goals, besides a couple of dozen other metrics. I have also been a homemaker all these years, juggling family and career, so maybe some of you can relate. As I progressed in my career, and set new personal goals and expectations, I realized I wanted to step away from the direct day-to-day operations management.

I always have had a lot of energy, am a “morning person”, and one of the ways to recharge my energy at work was by having contact and dialogue with the shop operators. Normally I was always happy to get to work.?

Some things were changing, though … and I became more conscious of what was happening:

-???????My work routine was turning into a chore

-???????Working 60+ hours a week, with disrupted weekends

-???????COVID pandemic brought fear, and not the best out of people, therefore there were some clashes among teams. People working virtually (“protected”) while other teams were on site (“exposed”), was harder to put in each other shoes, and promote cooperation

There was no line of sight to breaking these cycles. The day-to-day was consuming me, I did not have time to strategize about my future.

I was not getting enough sleep, would wake up for hours in the middle of the night. My body was sore almost every day, and I was getting frequent headaches. I had a routine of waking up, and taking a couple of Aleve, every morning. Sometimes I would take a couple more at lunch time. I was getting irritated by little things at home, found myself not being as patient as I used to be.

Day in and day out, this is how I was functioning. Despite all this, my commitment to work remained, I always showed up with a smile, and did my best.

Preparation

I examined in detail my values, feelings, personal goals, and finances.

Identified my psychological barriers:

-???????Attachment to the leader who opened the opportunity for me

-???????Attachment to some team members

-???????Perception by other employers, would a gap in my resumé hurt my career and future professional opportunities?

-???????Myself .. never stopped working in 25 years. Would I be bored, would I have enough to do?

I gave it a lot of thought, and shared all of this with my husband. He was very supportive of my decision. I have always thought I am a tough woman, and have the right, strong man that puts up with me, and my dreams.

With my mind made up, I moved forward with my decision. Time went by so fast and I started my sabbatical.

I had started working on a plan on what I would do on “month one” of my time off; this included a trip to Mexico to visit family. The summer was going to be loaded with baseball travel team games and tournaments, also.

I made a draft of a daily routine that included: walking our dog Abby, exercise 30 minutes, cook, etc. I also created a list of house projects to complete during the summer.

At the end, I did so many things, and I forgot about timelines. I enjoyed every day, I let myself be more spontaneous, did impromptu things with my kids and husband.?

Many benefits have resulted from taking a time-out:

Family and friends connection

The trip to Mexico was special, taking advantage of the lower COVID levels in the USA and in Mexico, and that families were vaccinated, my daughter and I spent two weeks there. It was a trip to reconnect emotionally with my parents, and siblings. Opportunity for my daughter to see her elder grandparents.?

I also reconnected with high school friends, those friendships that will last forever. Everyone asked how work was and I shared with them my decision to take a break. My family was happy and understanding, and my friends were happy for me also, and confessed, a little jealous.

It felt great not to have to carry two cell phones, and be concerned about work calls or emails.

Reconnecting with other friends was on my list as well. Some in person, some by phone, some were actually facetime calls scheduled. It is always a good feeling to know you have friendships that go beyond work, countries, age, and time.

Sleep

I started sleeping more. At the beginning my biological clock would still wake me up little after 5 AM, then it moved to 6:30 – 7:00 AM. I still had a lot in my mind, would dream about old work, sometimes would wake up in the middle of the night; the difference this time is that I could get back to sleep and get up a little later to recover. It took me about a month to recover from tiredness and start getting restful sleep. I have never been given better scores by my “sleep number” bed, than in these months.

Well-being

Exercise.. My husband and I started walking together every day, not a specific time, but when his work schedule allowed him. Fast-walked our 2 miles a day, around our neighborhood, we never ran out of topics to chat about.

Medical checks?.. I got up to date with all the medical checks I needed, catching up from the COVID delays. I cannot believe in the past I would give work priority over a Dr appointment. Not anymore. I am strong and healthy, and determined to keep it that way.

Biomagnetism.. during my trip in Mexico, I had a session; the practitioner asked me if I was taking analgesics. I mentioned Aleve, two each morning. She asked why, and I said “I guess because I am always achy?”. At this point it had just become a routine, but really I had not been paying attention to my body lately. I stopped taking them that day, to detox my liver I said, and guess what? I do not need to take them. I do get the common aches that come with age, ha ha, but not taking anything unless it is absolutely necessary; and it is working.

De-cluttering

Things.. Started with the house, cleaning closets, donating clothes that we keep because “one day I may wear that again”, or because I can’t believe my kids are still outgrowing their garments!

Kitchen cabinets, garage, a total organization activity, same, throwing away or donating things.

Thoughts.. it is important to clear your head. I exercised being present in what I was doing, and enjoying each thing. I became more conscious of catching my thoughts and sorting them, accepting, ignoring, putting a stop to them. Promoting positive thoughts, and practicing with the people I interacted with.

Feelings.. I acknowledged that I had developed some frustration feelings at work that at times still bothered me. I came to accepting them, and leaving them in the past.

Some books I read also helped me understand better my responses and reactions, and how to manage them.

Social media.. yes, I also went through my LinkedIn connections and made some adjustments.

Hobbies

One thing I had lack for years were hobbies for ME. This was an opportunity to develop a few, and to my surprise, they came naturally.

Reading .. I have always liked reading, however, at times it has been very challenging to make time to sit and read. Well, I have had the opportunity to read a few, catch up with some books people gave me, and some that I got. Here is a sample of what I have read during my break:

-???????The Chimp Paradox by Steve Peters

-???????The Fearless Organization by Amy Edmonson

-???????Braving the Wilderness by Brené Brown

-???????A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle

-???????Strategy Beyond the Hockey Stick by Chris Bradley, Martin Hirt, and Sven Smit

-???????A Promised Land by Barak Obama (still in progress)

-???????Raise your inner game by David Levin?

-???????Essentialism by Greg McKeown

And many others I get for free or very cheap through Amazon prime, and Bookbub – these are more fictional stories that could make a good Hallmark or Lifetime movie.?

Writing ..when I was in college, as part of one class we had to take, we had to write an essay, free topic. Each classroom of that current semester had to participate and the teacher would choose the best one. Then there was a competition among all those students; we were put in a room, were given three sentences to start an essay with, and an hour and a half to write about it. I ended up winning that contest, and remember my teacher encouraging me to write. I would at times, short stories that kept to myself.

During my time off I have had those inspiration moments where I start writing. I have published a few articles in LinkedIn, I have overcome my fears of putting my words out there, without caring about the “likes”, comments, or “ignores” I get. I have a couple of other projects going on, that maybe one day I will publish.. or not.

Gardening .. I like plants and love flowers, one of my dreams is to have a big chunk of land with flowers to pick every year. Easier said than done… I have started my flower garden. Started this spring with a small area, about 70 square feet. Problem is that in this area of NY state the soil is like clay, hard and with a lot of rocks. The area I worked on was full of weeds, those with long and stubborn roots, and many prickers. My husband helped me clear it with our rudimentary tools: rakes and shovel, added some top soil and fertilizers. Started with a row of gladiolus, a few lilies, one lilac bush that I had grown in a disposable cup since it was like 3 inches high, and a few seeds for perennial flowers. Protecting them from critters and deer, the gladiolus grew beautifully by the beginning of summer, I would cut them and put in a vase in the house; the lilac got a little bigger, and the seeds did not germinate. Every other week I would weed the area, it was a pain. This fall, I dug out the gladiolus bulbs, did more weeding, and planted irises, daffodils, tulips, and another four perennial flowers. It was a lot of work, and I am hopeful next year they will grow nicely, and I can cut some, put in a vase, and admire.

Finding myself

Not being employed for a while made me revisit who I was. I was not a title or a job. I was not what I used to do, what I had or did not have. I was ME.

I had time to reflect, to enjoy, to feel, to laugh, to be in peace .. my husband has been telling everyone .. “I have never seen her smile so much”.

Preparing for my next career step

When I made the decision of taking some time off, three things I had clear:?

1.?????I was not going to worry about finding a job during the summer. I really intended to spend my time on other activities, as my kids also had the summer off

2.?????My next role was not going to be tied to the day-to-day manufacturing operations

3.?????Timing to rejoin the workforce was unknown, and I was prepared mentally and financially to wait for the right opportunity, and time

Recruiters and some connections approached me for similar roles that I had held in the past; and every time I politely declined, and took the opportunity to explain what my career interests for the future were.

I have had the time to analyze opportunities, and make the right decision for me.

Taking some time off has been one of the best experiences I have had, and the right timing to pivot my career.

I did not realize how much I needed it, until I experienced it.?

I feel refreshed, rejuvenated, content. I look forward to rejoining the workforce, while keeping my hobbies and mental balance.