How NOT to work

I’ve been meaning to post this for a while—so long, in fact, that I’ve started doing a bit of work again (see my last return to work after burnout post) 😂. But I wanted to share it in case it resonates with anyone who finds themselves in a similar place.

After finishing work last September (2024), my partner and I travelled for four months and got back at the end of January. Since then, I had the rare luxury—and privilege—of intentionally not working for a few months.

In that time, I spoke to quite a few people who had also quit jobs, sold businesses, been made redundant or were transitioning to retirement. What fascinated me was the emotional rollercoaster they described: from glee and relief to fear, guilt, and even a sense of identity loss—sometimes all at once.

Personally, I felt far more fear than the liberation I’d anticipated. Seeing all that unstructured time ahead of me was… disorienting. Some of it was about money—even though I was financially fine, I’d never not had income coming in. This really shook my sense of safety and security which I realised is very much linked to money. But it was also about purpose. When you’re working, your days are defined for you. When that scaffolding falls away, it can be hard to know how to be.

That said, I found some things that really helped me navigate this space.

Instead of focusing on how to be productive, I started thinking about how I want to spend my time—based on:

1. The Past: What have I loved doing? What did I wish I’d done more of? What did I enjoy as a child?

2. The Present: What are my values? What brings me joy or peace? What does my body need? What helps me feel alive and present?

3. The Future: What do I want my life to look like? My health, finances, relationships? What small things can I do now to support that vision?

I mapped all of this out—literally—into a big mind map, and used it to create a kind of life to-do list with activities under each category.

Something I’ve found hard to shake is the productivity mindset—it’s wired into most of us. What helped was redefining what counts as “productive”: could rest be something I ticked off a list? Could joy? I even built a spreadsheet to loosely track how I was spending my time (with joy and rest right at the top!) — not to optimise it, but to ensure some balance across the week.

The end result? I’ve really enjoyed these months of not working. I now feel confident that I could happily and meaningfully fill my days without paid work. That said, it’s not my time to stop completely—at least not yet—and I’m enjoying exploring new pursuits on my own terms.

If you’re navigating a similar shift or pause, you’re not alone. And it’s okay if liberation doesn’t show up right away. It might just need a little invitation.

I hope you enjoyed this short read and would love to hear about your experience in the comments. Do also follow along on the main page 😊