I know this may seem so far fetched and outside of realm of possibility but when I was in my 20’s I decided that at some point, I would take time off in my late 30’s to do what I wanted. It wasn’t easy but I saved to take a sabbatical. So glad I had this plan because my dad got very sick and I was his caregiver. I was able to stop working and make the most of his time. We had some of the best adventures. He lived with me so he contributed to household expenses marginally but he had a pension and a 401K. At the very beginning of his illness, I took on consulting work which paid a good amount and I put money in accounts to pay for all the things I would need once I stopped working.
When he died, I was able to grieve on my own terms. I didn’t have to rush back after a funeral. I didn’t have to rush to pack up his house. I had time.
I went back to work after four years. I lost only $10k in salary at my first job back and then doubled my salary within 3 years of being back in the workforce.
Career burnout is real and companies want you to focus so much on saving for retirement. The economist want you to have this dire view of what retirement will be if you don’t save for 40 years. When I came back into the workforce I was way more invigorated and interested in what I was doing.
I was also able to barely impact retirement because I did passion projects that also bought in income.
I know I am coming from a space of privilege but looking forward to taking time off in my 30’s made that uphill career slog sort of worth it.
Also, it gives you a different lens to look through. Your job doesn’t have as much power when you planning an early exit anyway.