It’s been just over one year now since I went on sabbatical, and I wanted to write some sort of “Year One” update post. But what I didn’t want to happen was for me to get stuck making something Serious or Formal in order to Properly celebrate the milestone. So here I am, writing something quick and loose so I can just get something out into the world.
A quick summary of my one year on sabbatical:
Next up: try to create a job for myself where I can do ^ and also help others.
(1) A reminder to make time for yourself. I am very thankful that I had the means to go on a break for this long and continue on this break. All this time and space was, I think, necessary for my inclination to dig to take hold and make such meaningful progress. The more space I seem to have, the more I dig, and the more I build.
(2) As for the long term, so far the concept of puruṣārtha has been very resonant and attractive as a possible late-game build (to use video game language). This video is what first put me onto the idea, if you want to learn more.
(3) Have I recovered from my burnout? Idk. When I think of going back to a software eng job I still get the heebie jeebies, just a little bit. But I could probably go back now and do it sustainably by keeping true to my updated values. I’m also still making things and trying to craft a bespoke life for myself that eventually includes making money again (maybe as soon as a couple months from now), which to me is a sign of someone who is at least on the up-and-up. We’ll see though.