How often have you met that friend who is ‘currently working’ but wants a break, and then vanishes in the mountains without a trace for six months; and re-appears in the same or different company in a new job role? Give it one to two years and the same cycle is repeated. You may think this is strange but many Gen-Zs today don’t think it so. In fact, this is termed as micro-retirement and is followed by many today who decide to ‘take a break ’while dealing with ‘work stress’.
To sum up the scenario for those who are new to the term, micro-retirement is a situation where people prefer to take short breaks throughout their career trajectory instead of taking a traditional permanent one at the end of it.
Is micro-retirement feasible?
Apart from the term being so new that most people are unaware of it, people also raise their eye brows over its feasibility. Traditionally, one has been conforming to education, employment, family life, and retirement. But micro-retirement is a cycle breaker in this arrangement. However, giving it a formal name or not, many youngsters today decide to take a break from their stressful work environments and take it slow, somewhere in the hills.
It helps in understanding burnout and how you can overcome them. In fact, it also helps in understanding how your retirement life might feel like. Having an advanced idea might help you plan it better. Micro-retirement also allows you the time to pursue hobbies that you have been ignoring for long. In certain cases, micro-retirement gives you the motivation and re-instates happiness to get back to work with better zeal.
The flip side of it
Pursuing this kind of lifestyle has three primary adverse effects. First, it needs intense financial planning. While you are in your ‘retirement’ stage, there is no steady income. So you have to lean on savings. Thus, financial planning should be on top of the game if you are to pursue regular breaks between works. Second, the ability to choose this kind of lifestyle stems from one’s socio-economic background. If one has the liberty to go on living on savings and skip work for 4-6 months, they can pursue it. For those, who strongly support their families through their income, this is a luxurious lifestyle, often quoted as unthinkable.
Third, If indeed you choose to take micro-retirements between works then your career graph might suffer. Today, the employment scene is very rushed and even missing out a few days becomes difficult to cope with when you return. But missing out for almost half a year and then trying to cope up might add on to anxiety and stress levels.
Can micro-retirement be carried out?
To cut a long story short, if someone has made up their mind to follow this lifestyle, then financial planning, good savings and choosing a career which itself is slow –paced may help.
For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels.