For much of the last century, careers followed a familiar trajectory.
You worked hard through your 20s, built stability in your 30s, chased success in your 40s, and only then, if all went well, earned the bragging rights to pause.
But now, that rhythm of life — work, save, retire, feels increasingly outdated.
This Diwali break gave me a chance to slow down and spend time with family, something our schedules rarely allow. Between conversations, celebrations, and a bit of quiet, I found myself thinking about how we plan our work and careers, but how little we plan our rest.
Fortunately, more and more people today are changing that. They are not waiting until sixty to live deliberately. They are planning multiple “mini-retirements” through life, structured breaks of six months to a year to travel, upskill, write, explore, or simply breathe.
Unlike a career break taken out of exhaustion, a mini-retirement is planned in advance, financially, mentally, and professionally. The idea revolves around pausing with purpose. For some, it means stepping away to pursue a personal project. For others, it is time spent learning, caring for family, or simply resetting pace.
It’s the new talking point in every high-performing circle and the lifestyle trend everyone seems curious about. You hear it over coffee, at offsites, even in investor meetings — someone is always planning a time off, or just coming back from one.
In this edition, we’ll look at:
- The new rhythm of work
- The economics of time
- The financial readiness checklist
- Making your comeback count
Let’s dive in.
The new rhythm of work
Work has always been the centre of gravity for most of us. It gives structure, purpose, and pride. That hasn’t changed. What’s changed is the environment around it.
Technology has made us more productive than ever, but also permanently reachable. The day starts earlier, ends later, and follows us into weekends. We call it flexibility, but it often feels like endurance.
I see it in founders, professionals, even my own team — everyone is running faster on a treadmill that never really stops. And while I still believe in momentum, I also know that pace without pause eventually catches up.
That’s what’s driving this new conversation around mini-retirements. Not as an escape from work, but as a way to preserve the energy to keep doing it well. A short, deliberate break to reset perspective, re-skill, or simply recover the curiosity that constant busyness erodes.
It’s a pragmatic idea, not a romantic one. A pause taken to make the next stretch more effective.
Taking a long pause feels counterintuitive.
But I also have to admit that these are different times. The pace of change, the uncertainty around careers, and the mental load of always being connected have altered how people think about balance
Back in the day, the idea itself would have been unthinkable.
Today, a few things have changed that equation:
- Higher disposable incomes. Professionals are earning earlier and saving faster, creating room for optionality that didn’t exist before.
- Better investing systems. SIPs, index funds, and goal-based planning have made wealth creation more accessible and disciplined.
- Dual-income households. With both partners earning, families can afford to take calculated pauses without major disruption.
- Access to credit and liquidity. Digital lending and instant liquidity options offer flexibility in managing short-term gaps.
- Social perception. The stigma around breaks has faded; sabbaticals are seen as signs of confidence, not uncertainty.
In short, the ecosystem around work has matured. People have better means to plan, better tools to track, and fewer social barriers holding them back.
The economics of time
In wealth management, we often talk about return on investment, or how to make money grow faster. But beyond a point, the numbers tell an incomplete story.
Economists have long observed this disconnect between wealth and well-being through a concept known as the Easterlin Paradox. Once basic comfort is secured, more income doesn’t always translate to more happiness. Gains keep rising on paper, but satisfaction plateaus.
Over the past three decades, India’s economic story has transformed dramatically. Per capita income has risen nearly six times, from about $367 in 1990 to $2,481 today. India’s share of the global economy has more than doubled, rising from 1.6 percent in 2000 to roughly 3.4 percent in 2023. The expansion is mirrored in household wealth, with the number of millionaire households climbing to over 870,000 as of 2025, almost twice the count from just four years ago.
By most financial measures, we are living in an age of abundance. Yet that abundance hasn’t translated into contentment. Per capita incomes, GDP growth, or market returns have become vanity metrics — indicators of progress that show how much prosperity has grown, but not whether life has improved.
You can see the dissonance clearly all around. Despite rising incomes and a booming economy, outward migration was close to record levels in 2024, with over 2 lakh Indians renouncing citizenship, the highest ever. For many, it’s not the search for higher pay, but for better quality of life: cleaner air, safer cities, shorter commutes, more time.
So, if money continues to compound but happiness doesn’t, what does progress really mean?
That’s where the idea of return on time begins to matter. It’s not a financial metric, much rather it’s a measure of alignment. How much of your time reflects what you actually value? And at what point does earning more stop improving how you live?
In investing, we often rebalance portfolios when risk and return drift out of sync. I guess In life, the same principles apply.
The financial readiness checklist
The idea of taking some time off sounds liberating until you start running the numbers.
Only if recurring expenses could take a break too!
Most of us underestimate how much rhythm matters in personal finance. Salaries, SIPs, EMIs, credit cards, even the money we send to parents or children — all move in predictable cycles. The moment income pauses, that rhythm breaks, and so does the peace of mind that comes from consistency.
A good pause strengthens the system, not strains it. Here’s a checklist to keep your financial rhythm steady while you step away:
1. Create a liquidity runway
Think of liquidity as your bridge, not your fallback. Keep funds aside to cover the entire duration of your break plus an additional 8–12 months of expenses.This accounts for both planned spending and the lag that often comes with returning to work or business. Avoid using emergency reserves for this; build a separate “pause fund.”
2. Keep compounding uninterrupted
The biggest mistake people make before a break is withdrawing long-term investments. That kills the very compounding they worked hard to build. A pause in work should not become a pause in wealth creation. Keep your retirement and long-term investments automated, so your money continues compounding even while you take time off.
3. Stress-test your expenses
Six months into a break, lifestyle costs tend to rise. Travel, health, and family commitments often add up faster than expected. Run a “what if” test: assume 20% higher expenses and see if your plan still holds. It’s better to find the gap on paper than in the middle of your pause.
4. Don’t ignore the invisible costs
Income breaks affect more than cash flow. They alter insurance benefits, tax brackets, and credit eligibility. Review your medical cover, life insurance, and loan EMIs before you step away.
If you’re on a company health insurance plan, buy a personal top-up, continuity in protection is non-negotiable.
5. Keep optionality alive
Many mini-retirements evolve into something new — a venture, a sabbatical project, or a career pivot. Avoid over-allocating to illiquid products like real estate or long lock-in instruments. Keep ~10–15% of your net worth flexible to fund new ideas without disturbing your core portfolio.
6. Plan your re-entry like an investment
Returning from a break can take time. The job market moves, priorities shift, and it may take a few months to find rhythm again. Budget for this gap as part of your financial plan. A three-month “return buffer” ensures you don’t rush decisions out of financial anxiety.
7. Communicate early, plan visibly
When family, employers, or partners understand how your break is funded and why it is timed, they are far more likely to support it. Clarity builds confidence- it turns your decision from a surprise into a shared plan.
Making your comeback count
Most people think the reward of a mini-retirement lies in the time off. In reality, the real benefit appears when you come back. Research over the years has shown that structured breaks often lead to sharper focus and higher creativity. Yet, numbers aside, I have seen it unfold in real life.
The power of coming back well
When Tejas joined us in June 2024, he was returning from a year-long pause. After an impactful stint at a leding fintech company, he found himself in a comfort zone — successful on paper but creatively drained and mentally exhausted. Instead of switching jobs, he stepped away. He and his wife travelled for a year- seven months, seven countries, and a chance to reset their rhythm.
They started in Indonesia, then slowly made their way through Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. The first two weeks were meticulously planned, but soon they let the plan go and allowed the trip to find its own pace. They realised long travel only works when you let it flow. Days were spent diving (they learnt it from scratch and ended up doing nearly eighty dives), hiking, swimming under waterfalls, taking cooking classes, and even helping plant trees on a local farm. Between long bus rides and quiet beach evenings, Tejas read more than sixty books, rediscovering the joy of unhurried learning.
He told me they kept their money plan straightforward. Some savings went into overnight funds, some stayed in the current account for easy access. The idea was simple — spend each day like they would back home in Bengaluru, nothing extravagant. The only splurges were on things that made the journey memorable, like a dive, a trek, or a long motorbike ride through the countryside.
When I met him again, the change was striking. He seemed lighter, more self-assured, and in complete control of his rhythm. Within weeks, that calm translated into sharper decisions and clearer leadership. His break hadn’t set him back; it had strengthened his next chapter
Translating reflection into action
A good re-entry is both psychological and financial.
Professionally, the months after a pause are when perspective turns into momentum. Stay visible in your networks, reach out to old mentors, and share what you have learnt. Clarity about what you want to do next is your biggest advantage after a break. People remember direction more than designations.
Financially, continuity is already in motion. Your SIPs and compounding should have stayed on autopilot during the pause. The focus now is calibration. Review how your time off has reshaped your risk appetite and liquidity needs. Rebalance your portfolio to reflect the life changes that came with the break — new goals, altered timelines, or a redefined sense of what financial security means.
Many people underestimate how much perspective a year away can change. Some come back wanting to build something of their own, others choose flexibility over scale, and a few simply want to work differently. Each version requires a portfolio that mirrors your new priorities.
In summary
For most of us, the idea of a pause feels uncomfortable. We are wired to stay in motion — to keep building, earning, and achieving. But the more I’ve seen of money and behaviour, the clearer it’s become that rest is not indulgence; it’s maturity.
A mini-retirement is about stepping closer to clarity. It gives you the distance to see your life and work from a wider lens. To ask what still excites you, what no longer serves you, and what balance really means.
The ability to take time off without anxiety is the truest marker of financial strength. It means your money is structured, your habits are steady, and your freedom is real.
Work will always be central to who we are. But if the past few years have taught us anything, it’s that uninterrupted busyness is not a badge of success; it’s a warning sign. The ability to pause, to renew, and to come back stronger, that is the new edge.
As we head into the new year, I hope you find moments to slow down, reflect, and design your own rhythm.
Wishing you and your family a happy, healthy, and restful year ahead.
Disclaimer – The information provided herein is intended solely for educational purposes. In this material, Dezerv has utilized information through publicly available sources, and other data deemed to be reliable.