Summary
Younger generations are embracing “micro-retirements,” short sabbaticals or lifestyle shifts, to combat burnout and improve work-life balance.
This trend is fueled by pandemic-related stress, declining workplace flexibility, and increased burnout reports.
Millennials and Gen Z, facing financial and mental health pressures, are prioritizing their well-being, even at the expense of promotions, as they reject the traditional career model of working until age 65.
Meanwhile, older generations like boomers and Gen X struggle to retire due to financial insecurity and rising costs, with many “unretiring” to stretch limited savings.
Why is downsizing or reducing spending not an option that could work?
Because I have nothing to downsize to aside from moving back in with parents… Not doing that. I share a house with 5 roommates. My and my partners vehicles are both junk cars that I’m constantly fixing. We have no luxuries, we don’t go out, and we rarely eat out. Not sure what else to cut.