Are you craving a new adventure? Has your once-steady career momentum fizzled—or worse, have you burnt out? Does the thought of grinding away another 10, 20, or 30years until retirement leave you feeling drained? If so, you’re not alone.

Dana Saerstein, 31, decided she’d had enough. “If I keep working myself to the bone until I’m 60, I might never physically be able to hike the 2,650-mile Mexico-to-Canada trail.”

Her solution? A bold career pivot: she left her job to prioritize life over work. Dana isn’t the only one embracing a new strategy for work-life balance. A growing number of professionals are ditching the conventional idea of working for decades to enjoy a single, extended retirement. Instead, they’re taking micro-retirements: short, intentional breaks throughout their careers to focus on personal growth or passion projects.

Here’s what they’re doing, why it makes sense for them and possibly you, how to prepare and the risks you’ll need to manage.

Micro-retirements

Unlike sabbaticals, where an employee commits to returning to their same role, responsibilities and employer, those who micro-retire take a strategic break from their career and work life. They decide to enjoy intermittent chunks of retirement benefits to pursue personal interests, even if it means putting off their eventual retirement.  They hit pause on the hustle, allowing their work-life balance to swing away from work.

The benefits

Why would someone who’s spent years climbing the corporate ladder choose to hop off? Job market shifts, economic uncertainty, and inflation have made many employers question whether their career choice works for them. For them, taking a career break makes more sense than continuing in an unfulfilling career.

Others long for personal growth, and the opportunity to learn new skills, travel or pursue hobbies—which might become their next career. Still others see micro-retirement as a chance to recharge and focus on what they want from life. Office management isn’t necessarily one of these flexible careers, but you might be able to work something out.

Setting yourself up for success

Intrigued? Here’s what you’ll need to do.

Build a financial cushion. You need to save and invest wisely so you can fund periods when you’re not earning income.

Employer negotiation. Discuss extended sabbatical options or flexible work arrangements with your current or prospective re-entry employer.

Interestingly, your current employer might support your extended leave request, as they don’t want to lose you. You’ve proven yourself to be a reliable, skilled worker, one they can trust to take on a new challenge. Frame It as a win/win: “I’d like to take a break, remain available for occasional support, and return recharged and ready to tackle new challenges.”

Companies offering flexibility, autonomy and project-based work structures, such as consulting or design firms, tech companies and professional service or educational organizations, are often open to these arrangements

Don’t burn bridges. Maintain professionalism and you’ll keep the door open for future opportunities.

Skills. Use freelancing, passion projects, or other activities to stay sharp and enhance your expertise during your break.

Legal issues. Know how your career break affects benefits, insurance, and retirement accounts, and plan accordingly.

Plan for re-entry.

Set a timeline for when you’ll rejoin the job market. Staying connected to your network and informed about opportunities can make your re-entry smoother

The downsides

You take a risk when you trade a stable career trajectory for a detour. A long career gap can make re-entering the workforce difficult. You may have to take a pay cut to land a new job. You’ve had flexibility and might chafe at regular workplace demands. You may have lost skills if you work in an industry with rapidly changing technological advancements. You may discover you’ve over-idealized the break, with your time off not as transformative as you envisioned if you didn’t use it intentionally.  Taking a break means losing salary, health insurance, and retirement contributions. Because 401(k) investments compound over time, the financial hit could ripple decades into the future.

Still, a micro-retirement might be the reset you need to live the life you want.

Lynne Curry, PhD, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, authored “Navigating Conflict” (Business Experts Press, 2022); “Managing for Accountability (BEP, 2021); “Beating the Workplace Bully,” AMACOM 2016, and “Solutions 911/411.” Curry founded www.workplacecoachblog.com, which offers more than 700 articles on topics such as leadership, HR, and professional development and “Real-life Writing,” https://bit.ly/45lNbVo.  Curry has qualified in Court as an expert witness in Management Best Practices, HR, and Workplace issues. You can reach her at https://workplacecoachblog.com/ask-a-coach/ or for a glimpse at her novels, short stories and thought-provoking essays, lynnecurryauthor.com. © 2025