Well, my two-month sabbatical flew by in a blink! Did you notice I was gone? Probably not, since I kept up with my usual pace of three blog posts and a weekly newsletter. There was just one week when I really slowed down. We took a family trip to Sonoma, enjoyed daily swims in the pool, and I even took the kids to Train Town twice, which was a blast.
But once we were home, it was back to the usual grind. I even had to pass on a few business deals to try and relax, but honestly, I still don’t feel rested. I had hoped this sabbatical would leave me rejuvenated, ready to be a more energetic dad and writer. Instead, I’m just as worn out as before, mostly because I spent the extra time I had from not working on my blog, Financial Samurai, with my kids. And let me tell you, parenting young kids is no walk in the park—it’s tough!
I’m grateful, though, for all the quality time with them. Dropping my son off at his new preschool was a mix of pride and sadness. He’s grown so much in the past four years, which he spent at home with us after we pulled him from his previous preschool in early 2020. Now, he’s off to learn new things, make friends, and hopefully pick up a new language.
The first day of school had me up at 3:45 AM, nerves and excitement keeping me awake. But I felt no guilt about sending him off to school. It’s a sign that we’ve done our best preparing him for this new chapter.
Taking a sabbatical as a parent is tricky. You can’t just pause your responsibilities. It might actually be easier to take meaningful breaks when the kids are older. So cherish every moment with your loved ones.
Another reason my sabbatical wasn’t as restful as I’d hoped involves a big project—I was writing a book with Penguin Random House. If you think writing a blog post is tough, try a book. It’s five times harder because everything has to mesh well across chapters, and you have multiple rounds of edits with your publishers. It’s a long process, and I’m still a few months from finishing.
The idea of a sabbatical is to rejuvenate and focus on projects like my book, which would have made the time off successful. But I ended up splitting my focus too much. Writing and then marketing the book will be a huge task, but I’m looking forward to the marketing part.
During the sabbatical, I occasionally lost the drive to keep up with my usual blogging pace, which has been pretty consistent since 2009. It’s surprising how quickly you can lose a routine. And once you start saying no to business deals, it gets easier to keep saying no, which can really impact your income.
But the break did inspire some new posts. I explored topics like the U.S. housing market potentially heating up like Canada’s, preparing for a longer retirement due to lower expected returns, and the impact of the Delta variant on investments. I even considered hiring freelance writers to help out while I was away, but ended up having my wife step in for a couple of posts, which was a huge help.
Looking back, a successful sabbatical really depends on having support from your family and friends. Since I’ve been used to starting my day early and staying busy since 1999, slowing down isn’t easy for me. I often worry about not doing enough for my family, which probably stems from my own challenging childhood and a fear of regret.
Despite the challenges, I’m planning to try another sabbatical soon. With my son in preschool five days a week, I’m hoping to carve out more time for relaxation. My wife will also be less exhausted, which should help. I’m thinking of cutting down my blogging to twice a week to reduce my workload by about 30%.
This next sabbatical might be more successful because I’m adjusting my expectations and plans. And who knows, with the world hopefully moving towards herd immunity from COVID-19 soon, I might even extend my break. In the meantime, I’ll keep enjoying the flexibility that the pandemic has unexpectedly allowed, which might actually make this a good time to work.
So, have you ever had a sabbatical that didn’t go as planned? I’d love to hear from other parents who’ve managed to find a good balance. Your tips could really help me and others figure out how to take a break without feeling guilty. And remember, sometimes the best time to work on new projects or just relax might come during the most unexpected times.
