Sabbatical reflections

I’m about two-thirds through my three month sabbatical from Automattic. A perk everyone at Automattic receives every 5 years.

I figured I’d share some of my reflections so far:

At this point, I felt fully energized and fully rested (and I’ve felt this way since the end of the first month).
My family is healthy and happy.
With 4 kids ages 15, 11, 8, and 4, my wife and I have our hands full.
Most of my sabbatical has been spent at home, just relaxing, helping out where I can, and enjoying life with my family.

I took a trip to the Oregon coast with my friend in October.
In December I have a one day trip planned to NYC to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and to sample some iconic NYC eats.
I also plan to spend a few days in upstate New York next month.
I think it’s tempting to schedule a lot more travel during a sabbatical, but I’m glad I didn’t. It’s been nice to just be around home and take it easy.

I keep making little improvements to Crafd when I have the time and energy.
It’s been a fun project to bring to life. I’ve done everything (design, architecture, engineering) myself and plan to keep it that way.
I’m excited to open up the community to knitters, then crocheters, and then other folks who make things by hand.

I’ve gotten in the habit of walking or riding my road bike at least 45 min each day.
I’m trying to incorporate more body weigh resistance training, but struggling to make that a habit.
I’ve never had braces. I’ve always been happy with my smile, but I’ve always known that I have a few crooked teeth. I started the process of getting braces (Invisalign) and have an appointment to get then fitted tomorrow.

I’ve successfully dieted in the past, but I’ve never been able to eliminate my cravings for fast food. I’ve been able to suppress the cravings for months at a time, but they always seem to come back.
I started experimenting with a near zero carb diet 2 weeks ago. I primarily eat meat and eggs, supplemented by a little bit of cheese, and spinach (which I know have a few carbs). I lost 10 lbs. in the first 2 weeks which is kinda crazy. My plan is to stay on this diet for a number of months to drop a total of about 30 lbs, then to start incorporating vegetables, fruits, and carbs for a more healthy long-term diet.
The wonderful thing about this diet is that my cravings for crappy food are gone. I mean completely gone. I have zero cravings.
The other benefit of eating low carb, zero sugar, and mostly meat is that I’m rarely hungry.
I don’t know how long-term healthy this diet is. But I suspect if I can drop 30 lbs and keep it off, the health benefits of doing so will outweigh any damage done by this diet.

I’m to the point that I don’t think about work at all day to day.
That said, I’m already looking forward to going back to work. I miss my coworkers and the challenges that make Automattic such a meaningful place to work. I still believe wholeheartedly in our mission and our creed.
You never really know what something will be like until you experience it. I always sort of had this notion that retirement would be this ideal state. Turns out, that is not the case. 🙃 This sabbatical has given me a glimpse into what life would be like if I were retired. The conclusion that I’ve come to is that I am not built for retirement. 😛 I would probably be miserable in any sort of extended retirement. Don’t get me wrong: I’ve deeply appreciated the rest, the open-ended days without deadlines, and the chance to simply be present at home. But I think I can only manage that for a few months at a time, max. I think I’m built to work hard, rest occasionally when needed, then dive back into the fray.

Dave Martin