Millennials share why they are 'mini-retiring'— it is a remarkable strategy
Younger people, especially millennials, have been on the grind for quite some time. They have explored the job market and the trends, but are now opting for a “mini-retirement,” per The New York Times. It is an interesting term for millennials to explore their break before the next big opportunity. Mini-retiring might seem unusual at first glance, but these millennials’ experiences state otherwise. Having tried the idea out, they feel it is a much-needed strategy to incorporate in an exhausting and burnt-out professional world.
Jillian Johnsrud, a career coach, put the term in simple words. “A time someone takes, a month or longer, away from the 9-to-5 to focus on something important to them," per Business Insider. Mini-retirement is not completely calling it a day, but rather pausing to boost oneself before getting back at it. It is entirely up to working professionals to decide when to take the backseat and get the exhaustion off their minds. Here is the thrilling part, though—this time off is taken to find a better purpose in life and get that passion back before stepping into the grind again.
41-year-old Johnsrud herself has taken 12 mini-retirements so far. Her recent one included a month’s break from work to focus on a new hobby: Tango. Another millennial, Florence Poirel, former senior program manager at Google, noted that mini-retiring has been a pro for her too, per the publication. Despite working for a decade at Google and making it through crucial milestones, something felt monotonous and incomplete. "I was seeing signs of work-related stress and just questioning what I was doing with my job and my life in general," she recounted. That’s when she decided to explore mini-retirement and took a break for a year and a half.
During that time, she has dabbled in catching up with friends and family, assisting in a friend’s startup and providing career coaching sessions. 42-year-old Brian Li, too, has been enjoying a year-long mini-retirement after successfully building a career with various startups. The break did him good by opening up exciting ventures like helping with election campaigns, perfecting his cooking skills and even working with "independent consulting projects." The plan has been fruitful for Li. “I made a concerted effort to go meet people and say, 'Hey, here are the things I want to learn, here's where I want to develop myself. Do you need help?'” Lee noted.
Sandra De La Cruz, now 35, has been exploring the idea from a significantly younger age of 25. "I have less fear of change because I know that there are just so many other possibilities. That was life-defining.” Millennials are increasingly opting for mini-retirements, and the reasons are not restricted to exhaustion and burnout. Some just want to seize new opportunities, while others need to get a glimpse of life beyond work. For Li, it was a change in career priorities and for Poirel, a decrease in energy that pushed them to try the trend. These people did not want to wait until 65 for a complete retirement to enjoy things in life.
Johnsrud noted it perfectly, “There are certain seasons in our life that if we don't do the thing now, it'll pass us by. It won't be on the shelf until we're 65.” As for rejoining work, take it from another millennial’s perspective. Marina Kausar, a 30-year-old who took her share of micro-retiring and joined the workforce after 10 months, said, “I don’t feel that same stress and overwhelm anymore. And I think that’s because I got that time to reset.” Maybe that's the motivation other millennials and their younger generations need to balance work-life.