I decided to make this year a year of experiments, and the first one is taking a long career break and seeing what happens. It’s not done yet and may seem counterproductive to some, but it actually has many benefits I want to talk with you about.
Below are my ten reasons how taking a career break positively affects your life
Recharge and Rejuvenate
Even the best and the most interesting work could transfer into a routine after a long period of time or even to burning out. A career break will provide much-needed time to recharge and rejuvenate yourself mentally and physically. This will help you return to work with a fresh perspective and renewed energy.
Explore New Possibilities
A career break can give you the opportunity to explore new possibilities and interests that you may not have had time for while working.
Learn New Skills
Your career break to learn new skills or improve existing ones. This can boost your confidence and make you more marketable in the long run.
In the insanely fast-growing high-tech industry new tools appear almost every day. It might be tough to follow this speed and spend your after-work time, especially when you have a family or any other responsibilities. If you’re a no-life geek like I was, it’s not so noticeable. I heard that some companies are paying for employees’ education. It seems like I wasn’t so lucky and during my career, I always need to spend my own time learning something new.
Or you can distract yourself completely and learn something totally different than your work. New language? Python coding? Riding a horse? Playing drums? Why not try all of these?
Travel
Taking a career break can allow you to travel and experience new cultures. This can broaden your horizons and give you a new perspective on life. By travel, I mean staying at least a month in one place. It’s a completely different experience than the classic “one-week-in-a-hurry-thorough-all-tourists-places”.
Spend Time with Family
One of the most important aspects of taking a career break is the opportunity to reconnect with family and loved ones. By stepping away from the daily grind of work, you will have more time to spend with the people who matter most to you. This can be a chance to strengthen your relationships, create new memories, and build lasting bonds that will carry you through the ups and downs of life.
Whether it’s taking a family vacation, exploring a new hobby together, or simply enjoying each other’s company, the time you spend with loved ones during your career break can be some of the most valuable and rewarding experiences of your life.
Pursue a Personal Project
Utilize your career break to explore and pursue a personal project that you have always been passionate about. You could consider taking an online course to learn a new skill that will help you achieve your goals, or attend a workshop to gain new knowledge and insights. This is an opportunity to delve deeper into a subject you have always been interested in or to pursue a new interest that you may have never had the time for before. Pursuing a personal project during your career break can offer a sense of purpose, fulfillment, and an opportunity for personal growth. Who knows, it might even spark a new career path or lead to the creation of your own small business. 🙂
Reduce Stress
A career break can significantly help reduce stress and improve your overall well-being. By taking time off work, you can focus on activities that bring you joy and relaxation, such as reading, traveling, or learning new hobbies. This can lead to a sense of fulfillment and reinvigoration, allowing you to return to work with renewed energy and enthusiasm.
Reflect on Your Career
One of the most valuable things you can do during a career break is to take the time to reflect on your career goals and aspirations. This self-reflection can help you gain a deeper understanding of your strengths and weaknesses, as well as your passions and interests. By taking stock of your career journey so far, you can identify areas where you have excelled and areas where you may need to improve.
Reflecting on your career path can also give you a clearer sense of what you want to achieve in the future. Maybe you’ve been working in a particular industry for several years and are ready to take on a new challenge. Or perhaps you’ve realized that your current role doesn’t align with your long-term goals. By reflecting on your career path, you can start to map out a plan for your future and take steps to achieve your goals.
Improve Work-Life Balance
One of the key benefits of taking a career break is the ability to achieve a better work-life balance. Often, our work lives can take over, leaving little time for personal pursuits and time with loved ones. By taking a career break, you can prioritize your personal life and find a better balance between work and leisure activities.
During your career break, you can take the time to focus on your personal life, whether that means spending more time with family and friends, pursuing hobbies and interests, or simply taking a break from the stresses of work. By doing so, you can improve your overall well-being and feel more fulfilled in your personal life.
Ultimately, improving your work-life balance through a career break can lead to greater happiness and satisfaction in all areas of your life. So if you are feeling overwhelmed or burnt out from work, consider taking a career break to help you achieve a better balance and prioritize your personal life.
Increase Creativity
Taking a break from work can stimulate your creativity and help you come up with new ideas and solutions. It’s important to note that this doesn’t necessarily mean taking a break from work altogether. Rather, it could mean taking a break from one task to work on another, or simply taking a few minutes to clear your mind and refocus. Furthermore, research has shown that exposing yourself to new experiences and environments can also boost creativity (remember about traveling). This could be as simple as trying a new hobby or taking a different route to work. So, I can say that people working in the creative industry will benefit the most by taking a break and exploring new possibilities.