We know it’s been a while since the last “Why I Quit” episode released. We appreciate everyone’s patience. The reason for the delay is because I spent 5 weeks traveling through Southeast Asia with my wife during her sabbatical from work. A main reason I quit my job is to have the flexibility to do something like this. I learned a lot from my experience and I wanted to share my key takeaways with you below.
Having a good support system - I need to start out by recognizing my business partners Phil DiMuro and Cole Barger. None of this would have been possible without them. They held down the fort and kept the business running while I was traveling. I recognize that this type of trip is not possible for everyone. You either need to run your own business, have supportive co-workers, a company with flexible time-off policies, or being willing to take un-paid time off. Don’t be afraid to look into if your company has any options for extended time-off. This type of trip is such an incredible opportunity, it is worth looking into different ways of how you can make it work.
Organizational stress test - While many people look at sabbaticals as an employee perk, it is also a stress test of an organization. Is any employee a bottle neck? Are there any tasks that only a specific employee can do? In business, you always need to prepare for the unexpected, whether someone is quitting, leaving on maternity, etc. Leading up to this trip, I was forced to evaluate all of my weekly tasks. It forced me to automate work where I could and document the work I do. This is important because it made my work more efficient as a whole plus I am able to more effectively delegate my work as we grow the company. This made our company more prepared for the future and also set the precedent for others in our organization down the road.
Setting boundaries - When traveling, I wanted to make sure I was able to disconnect. I did not want the trip to be consumed by working every day. I wanted to be able to give myself time about space to be present. I deleted Slack and my email from my phone, so I could only check from my laptop when I had WiFi. I gave myself specific days to check in, so I was not checking every day. We are all connected 24/7 to work now with the smart phone. If you do not take steps to disconnect, it is easy to fall into the same daily stresses from home. I believe this helped give me the time and space I needed to really enjoy my time away, think about what was next, find more creativity, and be present in the moment.
Emails beget emails - I was dreading coming back to checking how many thousands of emails I was behind on. Don’t get me wrong, it took time to catch-up. However, I was pleasantly surprised that it was nowhere as bad as I expected. I fully acknowledge part of that was Phil and Cole managing things on their own and not bothering me. That being said, I once heard the phrase “emails beget emails” and I could not agree more. If you are not sending emails, you are not getting responses. It made me think how many times we make extra work for ourselves. Many times we work to cross off as many to-do items as possible without thinking how to be most efficient with our time. It made me re-evaluate how I think about deep work, meetings, and task prioritization coming home.
Screen time overload - Over 5 weeks, I didn’t have service on my phone and I didn’t watch any TV. Between that and limiting work on my laptop, this is the least screen time I’ve had since most likely high school. I was able to read 4 books and average walking over 5 miles a day. I met so many people from just not having headphones in. Between laptop, phone, and TV, it gets scary how many hours we are on a screen a day. It is so easy to naturally default to that after work or whenever you are bored. However, this trip made me realize that it takes effort to disconnect and I enjoyed being disconnected. Upon return, I realized how I fell right back into old patterns plus it was amazing how much my eyes started hurting. This made me start thinking on how I can set better boundaries with my relationship with technology moving forward.
Getting out of your comfort zone - The older you get, the more you fall into routines. The less you try new things. Traveling to new areas and meeting new people forces you out of your comfort zone. Even little things with trying new foods, talking to strangers, and going on new excursions, you’d be surprised how much harder that gets when you are out of practice. While it can be scary, it is that much more rewarding. I was put more out of my comfort zone on this trip than I had been since college. It helped me find new things I am interested in, meet new people, and helped me learn more about myself. I realized I can continue this at home, but it takes effort. I need to actively go out and find new events, join new clubs, and meet new people.
Perspective - Going into this trip, I didn’t know how I was going to feel when it was over. It is so easy to get caught up in the stress of our fast paced society. It is so easy to fall into the trap of thinking the grass is always greener. This trip really reinforced perspective for me and help me prioritized what is most important for me. It made me value working with Phil and Cole, my relationships, the job I have, the flexibility to travel, etc. When you travel to other cultures, you realize how good we have it. That feeling of gratitude is so important to keep in perspective. It makes you value and cherish what you do have. The mental switch to think about what you do have, makes you genuinely a happier person day today.
We are getting back into conducting interviews for future episodes. So if you are interested or have a potential guest ideas, please email dave@foundersapproach.com.