Month zero, or your first 30 days off, is all about winding down from corporate before creating a new life, new routine. Wind down time—quiet days are easier said than done when one has spent decades gearing up Sunday nights for the non-stop Monday-Friday corporate routine. Couple this with a vast array of things left half-done, barely started, and sitting in one’s imagination. After 30 days of “nothing”, I’ve learned what you should spend your 30 days doing!
Your ultimate goal is to arrive at the beginning of next month revived with a vigor for work that is fulfilling. You will have taken a “vacation” of sorts from the real world and into a place where you come to an understanding of yourself. Spend this time enjoying you and slowly, but determinedly re-focusing your eyes, actions, and goals on the new life. Do this in the background, though… but keep it conscious.
First of all, I hope you’re reading this prior to quitting. If not, I suggest finding a wormhole and a really protective suit (because matter traveling through a wormhole comes out as mush… I don’t know how they know this). Plan tasks for your two week notice, then do the following:
Hack out your Always Wanted to do list.
You’ve got 30 days to do nothing of “importance”. Spend your days completing things that constantly take up your thoughts. Remember all those art pieces… or product ideas… or places that seem to repeatedly creep into your brain. Do them.
Build a womb of love.
Don’t spend your days alone. You’ve got plenty of time to be alone with your work. Make sure you’re filling your 30 days with people you enjoy. Talk to them about what you’re doing. Find the ones that encourage you. Keep revisiting them. Spend time with people who love and encourage you throughout this month. Create an overall feeling of warmth and happiness.
I spent the month trying to, and being obligated to, spend time with people who didn’t understand me. It was adding stress, rather than removing it. Some people believe in you. Keep them close.
Relax until you forget you’re relaxing.
This time is not about goals. It’s about refocusing. What you do today doesn’t matter in your career… it matters to your soul. You are trading a day of your life for it, so make it count today for your soul. You’ve planned for this time. Don’t panic about income, or work, or bills. Think of it like a scheduled vacation.
Change your view.
Go somewhere different to see something different. Change what you’re exposed to and you will change who you are. Great advice, really. It’s OK to plan your 30 days… not each day hour by hour, but if you can swing a 30 trip… or two week trip… or 4 day weekend trip, go ahead and plan it.
During my 30 days, I went on three long weekend trips and a couple day-trips. They were the best use of the time! I sincerely encourage you to plan for at least a two-week trip somewhere. Cruises are great ways to get away without too much planning or overhead.
Open yourself to what comes.
Things may pop up that are interesting to you. Go ahead and take them. They’re happening for a reason.
For me, a friend is working a non-profit think-tank and asked that I help with some of the design work. I spent a few days at their office and made some connections that will be incredibly useful next month. The thing is, without being focused on my career aspirations, I was easily able to just help them.
I also picked up server shifts which quickly turned to Bartending shifts… and possibly the coolest job I’ve ever had: Valet. Turns out, it perfect satisfies my fascination with cars and spending time outside in the fresh air. Who knew?
Journal.
Every night, end your day with a journal entry. You’ll be surprised what you’ve done today! You’ll be able to refer to it anytime during the 30 days to see that you haven’t “wasted” your time. Leo wrote a great article about how to journal.
To summarize my favorite parts: get a physical notebook, keep it by your bed, and jot down a couple things you did that day. I’ll add that I focused mine on either my Design Elements or my five important character traits.
Bonus: Don’t be a quitter.
Go back and try something you gave up on. Remember, your dreams are there for a reasons. Does that something still cross your mind? Maybe when your tried it before, it just wasn’t the right time. Alternately, you may feel like you don’t actually want it anymore… and THAT erases a mindset of failure.
I tried making Sake… and it was an epic failure. I’ve had the kit for almost a year. Everything is still good, but rather than growing the mold to ferment into Sake, I grew something blue-green and something red. Yeah, I don’t know… but, I do know, it felt like work. I didn’t actually enjoy it.
Danger! Danger!
I have two warnings:
Make the daily grind your favorite grind
If you’re not going to travel and you’re spending the 30 days at home, have a routine for the day that forces you to do something that you enjoy. You can let go of this later, but for now… it’s a good thing! When you journal at the end of the day, make sure it doesn’t say “I breathed”.
Make sure your soul is settled.
I cannot stress this enough. If you take nothing else from this article, please… please… please understand how important this is. Don’t try to set out on your own if you are in a state of turmoil. Be at peace with yourself first.
I have spoken briefly about a personal issue I’ve had throughout this project. It ate away a lot of focus and time. If you have something undone in your life, I encourage you to either wait until it settles and passes… or accept that the first phase of your new life is going to be about settling that out. You will not be able to put a time frame on it. It has gobbled up 6 weeks of my time off and I can’t say for certain that I’m at peace with it.
Decompression isn’t just about leaving the old. It’s about working the new mindset. You’re changing careers. Now, you have to settle into the new career and focus on it. You should have a new point of view with a settled soul, a foundation, an uncluttered mind, and a book of proof that you’re capable of getting things done. You’ve done it. You’re ready!
