Work/Life Hacking

FOTOFRIDAY: A Cool Day on St. Vincent (Island)

Posted on: Friday, October 6th, 2023
Posted in: Travelog, Work/Life Hacking, FOTOFRIDAY | Leave a comment

Yes, it’s October. But no, that’s not a Halloween display. Rather, that pic offers just another gravestone and view from another idyllic island.

15 years ago, my kids got a gift they’ll never forget…or regret. 69 days of island hopping through 5 islands in the Caribbean. They got HOME-SCHOOLED! “Hardest math teacher ever!” they both told me. Often. And (otherwise) had the splash of a lifetime.  My son kept an online blog…A+!

One stopover was St. Vincent, as described and photographed in that there MYBA link. St. Vinny is an oft-overlooked Grenadine isle rich with mountains, authenticity, and perhaps a bit too much crime and pot growing (on those fertile mountain slopes). That keeps it quiet and off the snowbird migration routes.

Scenes from Pirates of the Caribbean were filmed there. Prices stayed delightfully on the low side. And the organic F&V were so plentiful that St. Vincent provides for many islands around them; farmer’s markets are filled with aggressive peddlers who send you home with more edible booty than you can carry. For about $20.

This photo was from a high-point stopover; cemeteries are often small and neighborhoody. This gent certainly has a fine view to decompose in.

  • Every Autumn I fall back…

Fall has arrived in MN. After a long, luxurious summer, we now simmer in darkening daze, fleece everything, and the promise of, oh, 7 months of same or worse before we kick off boots and slip on flip-flops. Unless, of course, one finds a way to plan a warm, faraway getaway!

Would I return to St. Vincent? In a heartbeat, in an island-hopper plane, or even—if I could swing it—hidden in a coffin…if it came to that.

Stay warm. Dream an epic dream. And keep the faith…

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Unpaid Sabbatical # Rises to 29%

Posted on: Sunday, September 24th, 2023
Posted in: HR FYI, Sabbatical Shuffle, Work/Life Hacking | Leave a comment

Pee-wee Herman, a hero in so many ways and here commemorated via crop art, lived his life as one large sabbatical awash in mirth and imagination.

WorldatWork is a large, multi-national HR consulting firm that has wandering tendrils in various places to improve employee performance and such. Their website and lingo are perplexing, though HR people no doubt speak that language. An unrelated article sprang their new sabbatical # on us. 29%?

  • A word about the source’s source

One Megan Preston Meyer, an author from Duluth who now hails from Switzerland (as one does), lived a corporate life before hanging up her Business Casual. She took a year off to write a book (as one does), and soon found herself creating children’s books, business books, recorded versions, and more—plus ideas for further endeavors.

Megan provides big inspiration for us BreakAway practitioners. She actually left the office, launched a savvy business, and moved somewhere both far away and idyllic. She seems committed to her blossoming garden of products and potential, though does now fantasize the unthinkable: Going back to the office for fresh blood:

I want to kind of refill my corporate bucket, so that I’ve got more inspiration…

  • Forever seeking a fresh # for unpaid sabbaticals

Thanks to WorldasWork for announcing that 29% is the new, magic number. But…do we believe it? (Apologies: This site claims to be an expert in such info, yet humbly admits to often being skeptical and flummoxed by the sketchy research, noise and static, and smoke and mirrors!) That said…

• Gusto, a payroll processor, reports that 6% of employees took unpaid sabbaticals in 2022—double the rate of 2019. (Think: Pandemic.)

• The Society for Human Resource Management asserts that 5% of employers offer paid sabbaticals; 11% provide unpaid leaves.

• Meanwhile, a 2019 Society for Human Resource Management survey found that 16% of companies offer sabbaticals, but only 5% are paid.

So…in conclusion! Our cause has a lot of work to do, and any # or math to prove our points can be…fuzzy. But that’s OK; we accept life’s unknowns, challenges, and aspirations with open minds and arms. That’s the mindset of seekers and leapers.

But maybe we DO need to dig deeper into this fresh-ish core data stuff. Like we often used to, back when MYBA launched…right about now…in 2008.

(HEY, HAPPY 15TH ANNI, everybody!)

And we send kudos and high 5s and American green jello to Megan Preston Meyer, once of Duluth, now of Switzerland, writing books and building her own brave new world. Sabbaticals, self-employment, creativity, Europe, a big idea. That’s a full boat! Enjoy every minute, Megan.

And as for the rest of us? We appreciate the inspiration. And today’s information. In which we once again ask the simple question: How many employers DO offer sabbaticals, anyway?

Well, we’re not sure. And the # seems about the…same as it ever was. But we KNOW the appreciation and demand for BreakAways is bigger than ever.

We can thank Covid, The Great Quit, and worker empowerment for these evolutions. See? Sometimes the silver lining (and wings) come out of what we on this site call The Bad Thing.

We wish The Bad Thing on no one. But be ready. That, or perhaps pennies from heaven may be falling in your future soon. Be ready. Your world awaits. Everything is right on schedule.

Keep the faith.

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Remember Golf? It’s Back in Swing!

Posted on: Tuesday, August 15th, 2023
Posted in: HR FYI, Unplugging, Work/Life Hacking | Leave a comment

The 9-5 weekday workweek is fading away like a fine drive.

Golf in America has been through many, uh, rounds. Up, down, in, out, back again. But since Covid, people are spending more time on the links than ever. And much of it is on weekdays—when workers used to wallow in cubicles, not strut on greens.

It brings new meaning to work/life hacking!

  • Stanford study + geolocation proves the putt-point

Stanford and others have dug into the dirt on the golfing renaissance, with astounding findings like this…

278% more people are playing golf on Wednesdays at 4pm than before C-19

In Cali, visits have almost doubled on TU, W, and TH

Weekday rec goes beyond golf, and includes gyms, malls, tennis, hair, more

I remember golf booming—along with camping, bonfires, and other outdoor activities—during that lonely pandy period. Heck, I golfed plenty myself, and often with my children who were unexpectedly stuck at home. Heaven! (Even if my golf skills can include ill whiffs.)

But will this last, I wondered? Maybe so! Why? Because people are taking their time back!

  • Daybreak trend soars beyond the course

Lisa M. Kreiger’s article (San Jose Mercury News) also tells of lunches, dates, bike rides, family outings, and more happening on what used to be strictly Company Time. We at BreakAway practically weep with joy (as opposed to our tears on the course) that folks are taking their shot at prioritizing what matters.

And guess what? The economy is doing just fine, thank you.

Have we really redefined that delicate but often brutal work/life balance scale?

“It’s the little things, like having lunch with my husband on the back patio.”

~ Tina, Project Manager

  • What goes around becomes a round (Insert eyeroll emoji)

Way back in history, like, maybe only 100 years ago, before the industrial revolution (and later, the corporation/office-obsession explosion), people got their work done on their own schedules and terms. Think: Farmers. If that’s really happening again, we BreakAway mavens may be out of work soon.

Except…most people still work too hard and too often hit their most coveted long-term travel dreams into the rough. So we’ll keep preaching what we practice. And practicing what we preach.

Getting your life back? Good for you. Wanna escape to Thailand for 3 months…maybe check out their golf courses?

Hey, you’ve gone from all-day sales meetings to teeing off on Tuesday afternoon. So why not give it a shot!?!

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ReWorking: Worker Burnout Becoming Big Worry

Posted on: Monday, September 19th, 2022
Posted in: HR FYI, Rants & Roadkill, Work/Life Hacking | Leave a comment


To quote Lady Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

If you google ‘worker burnout,’ prepare to feel the burn. It’s getting almost as much press as a certain recently-deceased queen, may she rest in peace. Methinks the Queen enjoyed such a long, revered reign precisely because she somehow avoided burnout.

If she can do it, maybe we can too.

A July 4 (freedom…ironic, no?) article digs into this hot topic and spins a lot of research numbers, including that 60% report often feeling a lack of interest, motivation, and energy while at work. In a way, such info feels like nothing new. However, the severity of the problem has no doubt lead to what we now call The Quiet Quit, or presenteeism, which is when people ‘go to work’ but do as little as possible. Or…nothing. (A future ReWorking topic—once we get over our case of presenteeism!)

One might call The Quiet Quit a terminal illness. Haven’t we all reached a point in some failing job where we don’t have the courage (or assets) to quit, yet might be relieved to be…terminated?

Can you say…severance package?

Once burnout takes hold, you’re out of gas, and you’ve given up all hope of surmounting your obstacles.

  • The 7 habits of fighting burnout

No, it’s not a book. Yet. But Forbes talks to Workhuman to gather these strategies to recover from burnout: Rest; improve your some self-care; take micro breaks at work (5-10 minutes); set work/life boundaries (and stick to them); meditate, including at work, if only for 5 minutes; have a place to vent (a friend, coworker, or certified vent-oligist); get professional support.

Yes, that last one means counseling. Which may be available at work (and may feel risky), through your healthcare, or any number of resources. That’s great, although it must be noted that the supply-chain crisis seems to have hit that world, also. And finding the right therapist for your issues can present challenges. Still, it’s worth a try. Just be…patient.

  • WHO validates the trend

The World Health Organization now includes burnout as a medical diagnosis, and an official International Disease. That’s heavy. But heavier yet is the sense that such a systemic dilemma flies above the purview and bandwidth of most employers, workspaces, and environments.

I mean, where and how do we begin to solve this epidemic that has been festering for decades, is an uninvited but inevitable dividend of the profit motive, and has been exacerbated by such enormous challenges as Covid, inadequate childcare, workspace scrambling, and entrenched cultural norms?

Nobody knows. But it’s refreshing to see attention and resources sounding loud alarms. Even if what we really need is more BreakAways, more balance, and more peace.

God save Lady Liberty. And the Queen.

May we all rest in peace.

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ReWorking: 4-day Workweek Making Some Steps

Posted on: Monday, August 8th, 2022
Posted in: HR FYI, Sabbatical Shuffle, Work/Life Hacking | Leave a comment

Can you even imagine how a reduction in work hours would pep up employees?

As BreakAway’s ReWorking series continues to examine how US working norms transform in a (post?) pandemic world, today we look at how the 32-hour week has been gaining a smidgen of traction. This news comes courtesy of NerdWallet, probably the best financial advice source out there.

Just ask any FA; they’ll direct you away from their firm’s website and send you straight to the $ Nerds!

  • A Cali bill, a nonprofit foundation, + employer test kitchens

The 4-day week has its cheerleaders. In California, the legislature recently kicked it around, and likely will again. Elsewhere, nonprofit 4 Day Week Global promotes the concept out of Oxford University—and has launched some pilot programs with courageous companies worldwide. And when surveyed, 92% of US employees respond they support the idea, with 79% believing it would help their mental health, while 82% even claim it would make them more productive.

  • But oh, the obstacles…

Yet the questions fly around like irksome flies in August. Most of them are obvious, and might make any CEO lose his lunch…

• What would customers and clients think—would service & sales suffer?

• Who would tend to your emails/texts/zooms/meetings?

• How could this work in a 24/7 plugged-in world?

• Would the time reduction = a pay reduction? If so, who wants that?

• Might this mean 4 10-hour workdays, and how would daycare and other support systems feel? (And could the dog hold its pee/poop?)

  • As always, alternatives abound

NerdWallet and the experts quoted are quick to point toward ways to get some relief if the #32 still lacks magic. Of course, we’ve been preaching about them here for years. But for the sake of reminders, consider these common-sense salves: Take extended weekend BreakAways; try meeting-less Fridays; schedule time periods that are telepressure-free; prioritize at least a few hours a day that are completely work-unplugged.

Will the 4-day week become a thing? Probably not in our lifetime. And yet, I know many folks who have made similar custom arrangements—because they have the power to call shots, they are in family-intense years, or just have a savvy and collegial employer. They offer role-model inspiration and hope.

Year-round 3-day weekends, everyone? Keep the drum thumping and, as always…

Keep the faith.

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FOTOFRIDAY: CDC Opens Up Re: Testing Requirement 

Posted on: Friday, June 10th, 2022
Posted in: Sabbatical Shuffle, Work/Life Hacking, FOTOFRIDAY | Leave a comment
Quarantined in leave Italy and think you’ll have a view like this? Think again!
  • Finally! You can ditch the jitters about getting stuck in lockdown somewhere

Quickly and quietly, the Biden Administration and the CDC have announced that you won’t have to provide proof of a negative C19 test to get back into the USA. Whew! Having travelled internationally a few times during Covid, I can attest to the angst of wondering…am I going to get stranded in a hotel room for a week or two, maybe more?

The new rules take effect on midnight, Sunday. No more will moms need to drive from Minneapolis to the Mayan Riviera to rescue a kid who got stuck sick on spring break…and then sneak him into the US at the US/MX border! (Yes, I know someone who did that.) 

People are already traveling like lemmings to Amsterdam, Paris, Rome—the usual prospects. The airlines are printing money again, while using high gas prices and inflation babble as a reason to raise fares and make (even) more money. But now? Expect the numbers—all of them—to, uh, skyrocket.

Budgets aside, this is great news for travelers.

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FAST CO.: Interviewers Should Lighten up on Career Breaks

Posted on: Wednesday, April 20th, 2022
Posted in: HR FYI, Work/Life Hacking | Leave a comment


Work is important, and sometimes sweet. But bosses-to-be need to recognize that savvy employees need Big Breaks too—whether to handle life’s adversity or to savor some serendipity.

Earlier this week, FC published (what some might call) a paradigm-shifting article, “What’s Behind the Employment Gap?” They outline 14 approaches from 14 HR mavens about how to approach discussing career breaks in an interviewee’s resume—and the interviews that follow.

While short on overall analysis, the loud-and-clear upshot is that times have changed. Major league. The pandemic shook up the work world in unpredictable and unprecedented ways. But the Great Resignation that is sweeping the career world seems to have shifted much of the balance of power away from the Big Shots and into the ready arms of the Real People.

Here are some highlights shared by these HR authorities…

• “PTO may be a sign of maturity.” (2 words: Thank you!) {8 more words: Maybe working nonstop for 45 years is not!}

• A perspective boss may be curious and appreciate a way to address the gap, but, as one pundit puts it, “It truly isn’t any of my business.”

• Maybe time off now is the norm, not the exception. Brilliant: Have you heard about raising children? Is there any engaged parent who hasn’t needed time to make that arduous adjustment? Did you know that in Europe both new parents may get up to 6 months off? Are you aware that our sluggish congress someday may legally mandate Family Leave?

• Give them the benefit of the doubt. And while you’re at it, “Find out what they gained from the experience.”

• Don’t label it a shortfall. In fact, why not, “Frame it as an opportunity for learning and growth.”

• And finally…Consider the candidate’s maturity level. “No personal path or career path is straight.” LIFE happens. And that includes illness, family concerns, having kids, and making hard decisions. As one writer asserts, it would be easy to see taking career breaks as, frankly, ant-woman…since moms (and dads, right?) often must make tough choices about family versus career.

Conspicuously missing: Discussion of travel as the reason for a…BreakAway! Hmmmmm. We’ve much to say about that. But for now, let’s just embrace the miraculous victory that this quick-read article represents.

High 5s to Fast Company. 14 of their Executive Board Members, in fact. Who knew gnarly experiences like Covid-19, sheltering in place, and locking down offices would play out so poetically? (Well, some of us have been patiently waiting for WHATEVER might move the chains.)

As this site often states: You CAN have it all…just not all at once.

Keep the faith. 

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ReWorking: LinkedIn Okays Career Breaks!

Posted on: Sunday, March 20th, 2022
Posted in: HR FYI, Sabbatical Shuffle, SoulTrain, Work/Life Hacking | One comment

Employers allegedly want neat, linear work histories. But most lives, especially those well-lived, more resemble a beautiful stack of abstract experiences.

Monster-networking SM site LinkedIn shocked the world on March 1 by suddenly—and finally—including career breaks as a viable way to describe the times that you were doing other things than working for MSFT (who owns LinkedIn). While most people would question the actual significance of LI, this is still both shocking and outstanding news.

LI even offers 13 options to describe your BreakAway, such as travel (yes!), bereavement, and caregiving. We’ll see if they add more over time, like joining the Great Resignation. Meanwhile, LI reports that “51% of hirers say they are more likely to contact a candidate that provides context about their career break.”

This development feels about, oh, 55 years late. But we rejoice in small victories—and this may represent a paradigm shift of sorts. So go ahead, be honest and update your profiles, y’all. BreakAway has always insisted that any employer worth working for will embrace people with interesting and well-rounded lives. Maybe the Linky world is catching up…

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ReWorking: WSJ Touts Sabbaticals as Pandy Burnout Cure

Posted on: Thursday, February 10th, 2022
Posted in: HR FYI, Sabbatical Shuffle, Work/Life Hacking | Leave a comment

For many, of late, life’s a b*tch—not a beach. The lucky ones get a sponsored BreakAway.

Last month, the Wall Street Journal published, “Sabbaticals are a Power Move in the Burnout Era,” and offered stats and stories about our repurposed passion. While millions of employees are joining The Great Resignation, for all kinds of reasons, author Katherine Bindley paints a prettier picture of people exploring national parks, reviving a home office, and renting a tranquil lake retreat.

  • Working harder than ever 

Contrary to many a bossman’s opinion, research proves that employees are putting in more hours than ever—even before Covid ravaged the workplace. Pile on unexpected stressors like concocting a home office, mastering the ways of remote collaboration, and tending to (sometimes sick) family and in-your-face chores and you get…BURNOUT!

Is it any wonder that morale is in the pits? That people are unhappy about the economy, politics, and, well, just about everything? We all feel like we need a vacation—if only the corporation acquiesced and the airlines functioned and the resorts were staffed and ready!

  • Still only offered to the privileged few

The sabbatical surge is great news, right? Yes, but unfortunately, companies that offer such remains stuck at an unimpressive 5%. And most of those employers have a long process—and line—while the package and duration can mean anything from unpaid for 3 weeks to fully paid for several months.

Still, when WSJ talks, people listen. And we can be sure that millions of readers practically spilled their coffee when perusing this article, thinking, “That sounds pretty damn good right about now!”

BreakAway thanks the ever-savvy Wall Street Journal and the helpful people at The Sabbatical Project for promoting our favorite movement.

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Supply Chain Mess Hits Home

Posted on: Friday, December 3rd, 2021
Posted in: Rants & Roadkill, Work/Life Hacking, FOTOFRIDAY | Leave a comment
The post-it says: The bigger the headache, the bigger the pill

Don’t ever travel. Or leave home. You learn about things, yes! But never forget: You must go home again. And…you will encounter things you didn’t want to know about, like the supply chain.

Who knew that was a thing? Well, now we all do. At least when the fridge decides to die. Or you need a car part that is nowhere to be found. Or the SuperTarget isn’t so super and hasn’t stocked your prescribed vitamin or favorite hot sauce in months.

I can’t figure out if we’ve become spoilt brats. Or if this stubborn frustration is yet another sign that the world is coming to an end. Both/And, maybe? May we remember that for many residents of this planet, these are First World Problems. Sobering…But does that solve the problems?

Not in this case. At least that’s how I felt when coming back from a recent short BreakAway visiting the parents. So lovely, until I walked in my house…The rotten food. The cleanup. The umpteen hours I spent trying to find a fridge that would fit, the countless reps along the way who could only laugh at my naiveté, and the 6 weeks and countless screw-ups the whole debacle endured.

Folks, there’s a fridge freeze-up. Warn your belly.

I ended up—eventually—procuring an overpriced, lower-end appliance that didn’t exactly fit. And ripping up part of my house to get it in. I’d be surprised if it’s still functional in 5 years.

And I couldn’t be happier.

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