This post is part of my Gap Year Series, read here for the why behind it all.

It has now officially been 9 months since I quit my job and started my adult gap year. It’s cliche, I know, but how time flies! I will go deeper into this in a future post, but for now I will just say that this gap year has been, as expected, one of the best things I have ever done for myself.

This year has also been a reckoning when it comes to layoffs in the tech industry, and many people I know have found themselves in a similar situation to me — unemployed with lots of time on their hands. And naturally, as the resident funemployed one in the group, I have been asked some version of this question all throughout the year: How did you think about structuring your time off?

Though now that I come to think of it, this is actually a question I get from both my unemployed and employed friends:

→ Unemployed: usually from unexpected layoffs

→ Employed: friends who are also thinking about doing something similar, whether it's deliberately quitting their jobs like me, or taking a leave/sabbatical

While situations differ, there are common tactics that apply to both. I'll begin by detailing my own gap year structure and then follow with some advice that I think will be helpful based on my own experience thus far.

the why

Ok first things first, why is structure important? I think we all intuitively know why. After all, when my friends come to me, the question is always, "what was your structure” and not “should I have structure?”

Setting some sort of structure helps you feel in control of your life and the time that is passing by. Which in my opinion, this is particularly important when taking unstructured time off. This is because many of us are simply not accustomed to structuring our lives ourselves. School (academic calendars) and work (quartering planning and the fiscal year) always did it for us up until this point.

Good news — adding structure is a skill that can be learned! Some good ways to introduce structure into your life include planning, establishing routines, setting goals, etc.

the (loose) structure of my gap year

Now, knowing myself, I am the type of person that doesn’t do well with setting goals. It is just not something I generally find to motivating for me. But I do find it helpful to set intentions!

So here were my intentions for the year. I roughly split my year into thirds and this was how I wanted to spend each phase, which was ~4 months.

Phase 1: Rest and relax. Resting, honestly not doing much, and just chilling. Don’t put any particular expectations on myself.

Phase 2: Exploration and reflection. Intentional reflection on what I want to do, explore interests, read, write, and just have fun! Actually figure out what I like doing and not just what I think I should like. Ask myself, does this bring me joy? And live life according to doing things that make me happy. Try new things. Stop doing things.

Phase 3: Turn into action. Take whatever I did in the second third and apply it to “what’s next.”

📣 👩🏻 Flash forward to present day — I am really happy with how I structured my year. Things more or less have played out according to the phases/time blocks I set aside. I feel rested, relaxed, happy, and and am transitioning into the last third of my gap year.

some helpful advice

1. Figure out your what and why. Knowing what you hope to gain from your time off and why can be a helpful anchor when you feel lost. It is okay if its initially vague; you can refine it as you go.

2. Time block. I found time blocking to be incredibly helpful. For example, it actually took me two full months to truly get out of the Monday-to-Friday, 9-to-5 routine. No more Sunday scaries, no emotional highs on Fridays. Since I previously set aside four months to relax, every time the thought of being more productive crept in, I could easily and peacefully shut it down.

   Having predetermined time blocks helps you with maintaining focus and navigating feelings of unease/uncertainity that will evitably come up. In my case, I dedicated one year to my gap year, dividing it into three four-month chunks, as outlined above. Whenever I felt unease, or even guilt, I could always refer back to my plan!

3. Establish routine. Establishing routine in this phase of life, where there is a lack of routine, is incredibly helpful in staying grounded. It doesn’t have to be anything grandiose. Personally I found my daily coffee routine and workout to be good anchors. For example, when I am at home, I will make myself a morning latte and practice my latte art. This obviously isn’t something I can do while traveling, so instead, I will make it a priority to go to a nice coffee shop in whatever city I am in and have my morning latte there. On the exercise front, running has worked well in my routine since I can easily bring running shoes with me pretty much wherever I go. Fun fact: I’ve ran two half marathons so far this year!

Having this structure has allowed my gap year to be not only fun and enjoyable but also nurture space for growth and discovery — more on this later :)

As always, thank you for stopping by and reading. If you have also gone through a similar experience, were there any strategies that have been particularly effective for you? Feel free to share in the comments section below.

I will see you soon in the next installment of my gap year series!

Continue reading Gap Year Reflections, One Year Later