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Ask HN: Free for a month. What to do?

31 points by ta_1 ↗ HN
I got about a month's free time between my last working day at current employer and joining date of the new one.

Don't really enjoy traveling. Any other suggestions welcome.

41 comments

[ 2.0 ms ] story [ 89.6 ms ] thread
bradhilton
Are you wanting to do something productive or do you want to relax and enjoy your free time off?
ta_1
Trying to do something productive.
Minor49er
Start a campaign to garner support for a fundraiser of your choosing
VyseofArcadia
I would personally just get my non-work life in order. I've been on the cusp of burnout for so long that I've let other things slide. I would take the time to clean and organize the house, get some exercise, sleep right, etc. Just recover so that I'm at my best starting the new job.
xupybd
Sounds like you could do with a week or two of leave. Don't let yourself burn out. Take a break.
tomcam
Agree GP sounds like it's that time.
snicky
Buy Tinder Platinum
gaws
> Buy Tinder Platinum

Maybe not if you're unattractive.

masukomi
If you're in the US, you can get a Personal Pilot Glider license with 10hrs of flight time and 2hrs of schooling. Easy to do in 1 month. Costs ~$3,500, hours count towards a full pilot license later if you decide you want one.
me_smith
1. Go backpacking/camping in some wilderness nearby

2. Catch up on the reading list

3. Start or enhance an exercise routine/habit

4. Learn to cook and start a habit of cooking

5. Catch up with friends and family

A month is a good amount of time to build a healthy habit that can take you into the new job.

Regardless of what you do, I hope you enjoy the time off!

cold_blood_cat
If I had this time, I'd have learnt game programming/hacking basics.
rgoulter
What do you want to do? Or, what do you want to not do, that you're asking others?

Things I'd suggest:

- Take the time to sort out any feelings you have about your old job, if you'd benefit from doing so.

- Take the time to spend a long time reading books / watching Netflix / playing videogames.

- Look into a more creative / active hobby.

- Develop professional skills which are interesting to you and will likely help at your new job.

cold_blood_cat
If I had this time, I'd have learned game dev or basics of computer hacking.
mod
Build a tool you'd like to have for work.

DIY something in the house to make it exactly what you want. Maybe your desk?

Put in a garden and sew a fall crop.

Get a slingshot and shoot it in the house. (Can actually prove useful to be skilled at this!)

kylehotchkiss
Rent a boat at your local lake for a day or two. Go camping! Try out photography (it's a golden age for cameras). Try researching travel a little more, maybe nicer hotels/a spa may be more appealing than other styles of travel :)
d0mine
A month can be enough to get over the initial hurdle/lay a foundation for learning a hard topic e.g., statistics. Or kick start any other routine that can't be done/hard to do in small iterations while starting a new job.
gigaflop
For the first week, be lazy, and lounge around while keeping up with your normal routines. Try to let yourself get bored. Start reading a book you've wanted to try getting into.

For the second and third weeks, you should have gotten your fill of sitting around. Try finding at least 6 places around you to stop in at, even if it's just for a coffee or lunch. Maybe use this as a way to socialize and stay 'present', if you have anyone you could invite along. Or see a few movies in theater, partake in a guilt-free bar night, etc.

For the final week, you get to reset your sleep schedule, and start shifting back over into more 'normal' habits. Maybe take a day or two to poke at some code to start jogging the brain again, or something that makes you problem-solve in some way. For me, that's often videogames, but it can be anything. If you have a garage, you have space for a physical project, if that's more your thing.

Justsignedup
This is perfect. This would be an amazing thing to do yearly. This is how you reduce stress, and rebuild your mental fortitude, and habits.
sanjayio
This sounds like what would happen if OP followed no advice, nothing wrong with that though and airing out your brain.
gigaflop
Nothing wrong with living like a Hobbit, if that's one's jam. Hobbits do a lot of things right.
Matthias247
> Try finding at least 6 places around you to stop in at, even if it's just for a coffee or lunch.

In my last 2 weeks off where I didn't travel I made the plan to visit a different place for breakfast/brunch each day. It was great! It found more nice places in the city I'm living in that I haven't visited before, and provided each day some structure which prevented my from just doing nothing.

gigaflop
Yes! For me, having some sort of structure is key, otherwise I can easily fall into my comfortable defaults of barely leaving my apartment, despite living in walking distance to my downtown area.

Nothing wrong with being lazy once in a while, but I just don't want to fall victim to "Covid Time Machine" if I can help it.

hn_version_0023
I suspect this won't meet with popular approval, but it's a serious suggestion.

Do nothing. Allow your mind and body to unwind. Allow yourself to sleep in. Allow yourself simple pleasures like walking, cooking, sharing a meal with friends.

But in general, if you have your next gig already lined up, its perfectly acceptable to do absolutely nothing and enjoy it!

Be well friend, and congrats on making changes in your life.

karanmg
Turn off alarms - sleep/wake with natural light.

Meet everyone you have been meaning to. Go to the theatre/movies. Go see a game or concert.

Don't binge watch. Don't check HN.

justsomehnguy
Turn off your PC and do the things.

Museums, bars, concerts. You have at least 15 things to do/visit that month.

hombre_fatal
Develop a healthy daily routine. Cooking, exercise, walking.
wilmerags
Paradoxically, non-internal answers to this will take the freedom from you
tomcam
Not sure I agree. It's sometimes helpful for me to crowdsource feedback b/c I don't think of everything. I'm highly self-motivated and never even had an inkling that might be the case.
wilmerags
You're right! I was thinking it from the perspective that things that come from within might be more rewarding, but I agree with your point and I changed my mind, suggestions are good signal to try things.

In that sense, I would recommend first going through watchlist, reading list of similar pending things that give me a lot of peace of mind, also connect with people you have postponed to reconnect with, I'd learn an instrument (my choice would be piano) and train my self in a sport of interest (like table tennis)

tomcam
Sounds like an excellent month!
tomcam
You specified on this page that you'd like to do something productive. My strategy has always been to study for my next job WHILE I'm on the current one. Is there any area where you feel weak that studying ahead would help you substantially? I would view a month as a massive gift if I wanted to pull ahead in something.
sharmi
Just another suggestion.

Why not learn something entirely different? Learn about personal finance. Most education systems that I know of do not take this seriously. You will be able to take informed decisions about loans and investments all throughout your life.

How ever an investment is structured, you will be able to see the crux of it and how it really affects your money.

I learnt it free online on Coursera (I think) more than a decade back and even the little that I retain vastly improves my financial decision making skills.