​​​​​​​How can you retire soon, and often? Carl talks with author/speaker/coach Jillian Johnsrud about the how’s of taking mini-retirements and why they're so good for you. Jillian is the author and host the popular podcast “Retire Often” that helps individuals, companies and financial advisors make sabbaticals a reality—through coaching, consulting and training. Jillian is also an in-demand speaker on the subject of taking multiple mini-retirements.

Jillian grew up in a small town in Montana and after many years away has been back in Montana for over a decade. She grew up in a blue-collar family and she didn't really have big dreams back then. She was an anxious, shy kid with dyslexia. But she says one firm, earnest high school teacher inspired her. She told Jillian, “The spelling doesn’t matter, it’s a low skill set. A better skill set is to be able to tell a good story.” This concept had a huge impact on Jillian.

She worked her way through college, juggling various retail positions. After marrying, living very frugally and saving, she felt she had the financial independence at age 32 to take the leap to become a professional writer. And yes, she also has 5 kids. “I just truly enjoyed the process of writing,” she says, not worrying so much about financial gains from it at that time. 

Jillian has personally taken a dozen mini-retirements. She tells us why it's important to do it, and how to create a sabbatical for yourself, including how to talk to your employers, even what to say to your questioning family and friends about it. For example, she says to develop a positive story around your time off, not just the "I'm so stressed out" approach. Think through how it might also work for your employer and how they can manage while you're out and benefit when you get back. She says it may even take a year to plan it. But it can be done!

Jillian says the first mini-retirement she took gave her time to refresh, regroup and find her creativity again. One of her mini-retirements included a 10-week road trip to 10 National Parks with her family. “So often we recognize there’s this window of time to do something, and if we don’t do it now, we will have missed the opportunity.” Now with teens at home, Jillian still finds time to take mini-retirements for extended travel, improving her mental and physical health, and more. 

Jillian Johnsrud’s Tips for the Mini-Retirement Life:​​​​​​​

• “Give yourself permission to pause from the life you've created. Taking off one, two or three months can change everything—including your perspective and goals for your future.”

• “View your retirement as a non-judgmental science experiment. Try new things, try other things, observe and discover what works best for you.”

• “Schedule some, but less in mini-retirement. Just winging it doesn't work. Experiment with different plans, routines and boundaries to help you realize the outcome you’re looking for.”

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• More about Jillian Johnsrud

• Jillian's Book Retire Often

• Sponsored by Capital Advantage

• Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die

• I Used to be Somebody World Tour Croatia and New England Baseball and Brew

• I Used to be Somebody Newsletter

Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media. After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the "I Used to be Somebody" blog.

Tags:    Blog   Interview   Carl Landau   Jillian Johnsrud   Retire Often   UnRetirement   Mini-Retirements   Author  

Planning on retiring soon? Then you already know there’s a ton of information out there for soon-to-be-retirees. “Get your health insurance squared away, have savings for emergencies, more health and financial stuff, blah blah, blah.”

We are going to assume that you’ve already got these important topics under control. But have you thought about scheduling a “mini-retirement” before that big “last day” arrives?

A mini-retirement is a scheduled and budgeted time away from work that is different than a vacation or a sabbatical. You try out what your life will look like when you don’t ever go back to that career. (We’ll be honest:it takes a little work not to work!)

5 Tips to Planning a Successful Mini-Retirement

How long feels right to you? 

Schedule a block of time and make sure it’s long enough. Is six months possible?

How much to spend?

Budget for this time differently. Vision what your lifestyle will be without all the work perks and paychecks. (And we’re not talking about going without an abundance of office supplies.) 

Manage the worry factor.

This is a big one: Don’t assume your mini-retirement means you are going to be worrying about your finite bank account all the time. Figure out a way to emotionally grasp this now so you don’t dampen your joy post-retirement.

Think and think some more.

Plan your time during this period and keep a journal. This is a time is for social activities and health, but also reflection.. What do you want your life to look like in your Second Act?

Consider the possibility you won’t return to work after all. 

After months away from work and plenty of rest, you may end up wanting different things now. Maybe you’ve tapped into creativity you never knew you had. Or settled on your post-retirement career or project.

There is no one right way to plan for a mini- (or real) retirement. Only you can figure out what works best for you. But try it! This little checklist can help get you started. And what’s better than making you the priority? 

Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media. After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the I Used to Be Somebody weekly blog. 

Tags:    blog   retirement   vacation   mini-retirement   work   budget