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If there’s one thing you don’t want to be thinking about when it comes to a big life event, it’s your work schedule. Even if that big life event is moving on to a brand new job.
A new phenomenon that’s sweeping relaxation-starved workers is taking a ‘jobbymoon’ – that is, a holiday between ending an old job and starting a new one. A jobbymoon, or any type of ‘moon’, provides the perfect opportunity to relax and take stock before embarking on a new challenge.
I took a jobbymoon before starting at IMAGE. Having booked a week-long trip to New York, the timing of interviewing and being hired fell nicely just before my holiday. I left my old position the day before my flight and started my new one a few days after returning. Et voilá – a nice week-long break before embarking on a new journey in my career. And mind you, it was much needed. Not that I was particularly stressed from either job, just that leaving one position before diving headfirst into a new one takes a bit of a readjustment of headspace. Plus, as they say, New York is always a good idea.
Big life events normally focus around transition. A wedding, for example, is a transition into married life. Pregnancy is the transition to becoming a parent. In times of transition, we need space and time to relax, reflect and focus on the end-game of that part of our lives. Without time to reboot, we risk returning to our places of work being completely burnt out. The same idea is behind any type of leave from work – parental leave or even bereavement leave. If you have a lot going on, taking a break from work is often exactly what’s needed to focus on getting back to normal.
We live in a world where employees regularly don’t take the full amount of leave time they’re entitled to; probably because of the ‘always on’ culture we’ve found ourselves in. But it’s been well-documented that happy employees equal happy output for companies. It’s in a boss’s best interests to have well-rested, tuned-in workers and sometimes, that means a nice break away from the grind. There’s no space for away-from-laptop guilt here; if you’re entitled to some time off, take it and enjoy it.
So if you have the financial stability to take a break in between jobs, even if it’s internally, make sure to take them. The time can be invaluable in helping you reset and oftentimes, you will surprise yourself with ideas and conclusions you came to while you were off. It takes time to remove one hat and put on another.
It doesn’t have to vacay as such, but it does mean getting some separation from your work station, especially if you’ve been working from home. Power down your computer, shut the door or throw a blanket over it, just remove yourself mentally and physically from the space, and maybe invest in some new stationery to give you those new job vibes even if you’re sitting at the same desk.
If you’re still a bit confused about all this ‘moon’ business, here’s your guide to every type of break:
Honeymoon – not that it needs an explanation, but a holiday you take as a newly-wed couple to celebrate your nuptials after the stress of planning a wedding, especially if you had “very involved” parents.
Mini-moon – while the tradition of taking a honeymoon straight after the wedding is on the way out (who has the money for that?), a mini-moon is a few days away, probably in a city, to round off the wedding celebrations.
Baby-moon – a holiday you take just before having your first child (or subsequent kids). It’s the last time that you’ll be able to spend with your partner kid-free for a while, so best make it memorable.
Jobbymoon – a holiday taken in between leaving your old job and starting a new one.
This article was first published in February 2020.