Planning worksheet for taking a mini retirement

At React Summit this year, I had the opportunity to give a lightning talk on taking extended time off through sabbaticals or leaves of absence – aka "mini retirements."

It's a short 8-minute talk. You can view the full slide deck here:

Tired of Tech? (React Summit 2023)

A presentation created with Slides.

SlidesKamran Ayub

The speaker notes have the transcription of the talk. Once a recording is available, I'll be sure to let you know.

As part of the talk, I also made a small Google Sheet to help you plan your mini retirement:

Tired of Tech Worksheets

Gap Time Planner January,February,March,April,May,June,July,August,September,October,November,December,Total,MedianCash In,$8,500.00,$8,500.00,$8,500.00Cash Out,-$3,467.00,-$3,467.00,-$3,467.00Savings,$5,033.00,$0.00,$0.00,$0.00,$0.00,$0.00,$0.00,$0.00,$0.00,$0.00,$0.00,$0.00,$5,033.00,$5,033.00

Google Docs

Using the worksheet is pretty straightforward. Most of the work will be in figuring out your cash flow situation.

You can get cash flow data from:

Your bank transactions (export to CSV or run a report for the dates)
Use a financial tracking software like Mint
Your credit card statements

I use Mint to get this data since it's hooked up to all my accounts, but I know some prefer spreadsheets.

Once you understand your cash flow, you can figure out your savings rate and, by extension, how long it might take to save up for a summer off or extended time off.

If you have questions, feel free to reply or leave a comment!

Cheers,
Kamran