Free for a month. What to do?

For the first week, be lazy, and lounge around while keeping up with your normal routines. Try to let yourself get bored. Start reading a book you've wanted to try getting into.

For the second and third weeks, you should have gotten your fill of sitting around. Try finding at least 6 places around you to stop in at, even if it's just for a coffee or lunch. Maybe use this as a way to socialize and stay 'present', if you have anyone you could invite along. Or see a few movies in theater, partake in a guilt-free bar night, etc.

For the final week, you get to reset your sleep schedule, and start shifting back over into more 'normal' habits. Maybe take a day or two to poke at some code to start jogging the brain again, or something that makes you problem-solve in some way. For me, that's often videogames, but it can be anything. If you have a garage, you have space for a physical project, if that's more your thing.

I would personally just get my non-work life in order. I've been on the cusp of burnout for so long that I've let other things slide. I would take the time to clean and organize the house, get some exercise, sleep right, etc. Just recover so that I'm at my best starting the new job.

I suspect this won't meet with popular approval, but it's a serious suggestion.

Do nothing. Allow your mind and body to unwind. Allow yourself to sleep in. Allow yourself simple pleasures like walking, cooking, sharing a meal with friends.

But in general, if you have your next gig already lined up, its perfectly acceptable to do absolutely nothing and enjoy it!

Be well friend, and congrats on making changes in your life.

If you're in the US, you can get a Personal Pilot Glider license with 10hrs of flight time and 2hrs of schooling. Easy to do in 1 month. Costs ~$3,500, hours count towards a full pilot license later if you decide you want one.

1. Go backpacking/camping in some wilderness nearby

2. Catch up on the reading list

3. Start or enhance an exercise routine/habit

4. Learn to cook and start a habit of cooking

5. Catch up with friends and family

A month is a good amount of time to build a healthy habit that can take you into the new job.

Regardless of what you do, I hope you enjoy the time off!

Learn to sail

https://asa.com/certifications/asa-101-basic-keelboat-sailin...

Turn off alarms - sleep/wake with natural light.

Meet everyone you have been meaning to. Go to the theatre/movies. Go see a game or concert.

Don't binge watch. Don't check HN.

Just another suggestion.

Why not learn something entirely different? Learn about personal finance. Most education systems that I know of do not take this seriously. You will be able to take informed decisions about loans and investments all throughout your life.

How ever an investment is structured, you will be able to see the crux of it and how it really affects your money.

I learnt it free online on Coursera (I think) more than a decade back and even the little that I retain vastly improves my financial decision making skills.

What do you want to do? Or, what do you want to not do, that you're asking others?

Things I'd suggest:

- Take the time to sort out any feelings you have about your old job, if you'd benefit from doing so.

- Take the time to spend a long time reading books / watching Netflix / playing videogames.

- Look into a more creative / active hobby.

- Develop professional skills which are interesting to you and will likely help at your new job.

You specified on this page that you'd like to do something productive. My strategy has always been to study for my next job WHILE I'm on the current one. Is there any area where you feel weak that studying ahead would help you substantially? I would view a month as a massive gift if I wanted to pull ahead in something.

If you don't have a dog and have ever considered adopting one, I'd recommend it - especially if you're expecting to spend a good percentage of that time alone. Forces you out of the house regularly, gives you something to focus your attention and they really do give back 100%.

Are you wanting to do something productive or do you want to relax and enjoy your free time off?

Rent a boat at your local lake for a day or two. Go camping! Try out photography (it's a golden age for cameras). Try researching travel a little more, maybe nicer hotels/a spa may be more appealing than other styles of travel :)

A month can be enough to get over the initial hurdle/lay a foundation for learning a hard topic e.g., statistics. Or kick start any other routine that can't be done/hard to do in small iterations while starting a new job.

Paradoxically, non-internal answers to this will take the freedom from you

Build a tool you'd like to have for work.

DIY something in the house to make it exactly what you want. Maybe your desk?

Put in a garden and sew a fall crop.

Get a slingshot and shoot it in the house. (Can actually prove useful to be skilled at this!)

Do Vipassana Meditation for two weeks https://www.dhamma.org/en-US/index

Buy Tinder Platinum

A new non-computer hobby. Rock climbing maybe?

Turn off your PC and do the things.

Museums, bars, concerts. You have at least 15 things to do/visit that month.

If I had this time, I'd have learned game dev or basics of computer hacking.

If I had this time, I'd have learnt game programming/hacking basics.

Start a campaign to garner support for a fundraiser of your choosing

Develop a healthy daily routine. Cooking, exercise, walking.

What are your interests?

Anything but work.

Recurse center

Exercise.