Latest news with #PeterDuris
Entrepreneur
05-06-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Micro-Retirement? Quit Your Job Before You're a Millionaire
The trend is popular on social media among Gen Z and millennial workers who need a break. The average age of retirement in the U.S. is 63 for women and 65 for men, according to recent research from financial services company Empower — a milestone several decades off for Gen Z and young millennial professionals. What's more, for many people, saving enough money for a comfortable lifestyle in their golden years remains an elusive feat. More than 57% of working Americans think they're behind where they should be on their retirement savings, including 35% who feel significantly behind, per a 2024 Bankrate survey. Related: Americans in These 5 U.S. States Might Fare the Worst in Retirement. How Do Your Numbers Compare? That's perhaps not surprising given the lofty figure Americans consider the bare minimum for retirement: $1.46 million, according to a Northwestern Mutual study. An alternative to reaching such a far-off, financially cumbersome goal? The increasingly popular "micro-retirement." What is a micro-retirement? A "micro-retirement," also known as a "mini-retirement," refers to career breaks during which people can pursue personal interests and goals, and potentially reconsider their professional aspirations. "Micro-retirement is a great way for workers to balance their careers with their personal lives," Peter Duris, CEO and co-founder of AI career app Kickresume, says. "While some have ambitious career goals that see them climbing the ladder quickly, others have different priorities. Micro-retirement offers the freedom to explore those personal aspirations sooner rather than later." Duris also points out that micro-retirement doesn't necessarily mean leaving the workforce forever — most micro-retirees will return to their careers "feeling refreshed" and "ready to jump right into a new role." Related: How Much Money Do You Need to Retire Comfortably in Your State? Here's the Breakdown. Where did the term "micro-retirement" come from? The "micro-" or "mini-" retirement strategy is sweeping social media and gaining ground with Gen Z and young millennial professionals, but the concept of strategically-timed career breaks isn't a new one. In The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich, first published in 2007, American entrepreneur and investor Timothy Ferriss poses a question on the minds of many young workers today: "What if you could use a mini-retirement to sample your deferred-life plan reward before working 40 years for it?" Related: Early Retirement vs. Delayed Retirement: Which Is Right for You? Ferriss's mini-retirement strategy involves regular travel. "I currently take three or four mini-retirements per year and know dozens who do the same," he writes. "Sometimes these sojourns take me around the world; oftentimes they take me around the corner —Yosemite, Tahoe, Carmel — but to a different world psychologically, where meetings, e-mail and phone calls don't exist for a set period of time." In a recent survey from global outplacement and career development firm Careerminds, 26% of micro-retirees said their top goal would be travel and exploration, while 23% were motivated by health and wellness. How can you pull off your own micro-retirement? The best time to micro-retire is when you're ready to leave your current job and tackle a new experience, according to Duris — but adequate planning and preparation will go a long way. Employees embarking on micro-retirement should make sure they save enough money for their time away and post-hiatus job search, have a clear sense of what they'd like to do during micro-retirement and upon their return, and refresh their resumes with any skills gleaned from the break, Duris suggests. Related: Retiring at 27: Ambitious, Lazy or Crazy? "Although this way of working and living might sound stressful, it offers the chance to experience the best of both worlds," Duris says. "Putting your career on hold doesn't have to be a bad thing. It can give young people the chance to do things that grow their confidence and help them learn more about themselves."
Forbes
06-04-2025
- Forbes
‘Ping Fatigue': 4 Tips To Tackle This Silent Culprit Of Burnout
That pinging sound from your multiple devices could be your new American Idol. It's amazing how many of us feel slaves to the high-pitched sound and how few of us do anything about. April is National Stress Awareness month, a perfect time to pay attention to how pinging can annoy you like gnats at a picnic. But the seemingly innocuous sound is more serious than you might think if you're not fully aware of the stress it imposes in your life. When unmanaged, the constant pinging could turn into chronic stress and lead to 'ping fatigue'--a silent contributor to burnout. 'Do you know that feeling of a complete onslaught of notifications during your busy workday?" asks Peter Duris, CEO and co-founder of AI career app Kickresume. 'That's ping fatigue,' Duris answers. 'Many workers nowadays are logged into multiple apps and platforms which can send you notifications throughout the day. It can be an automatic message to let you know that someone's editing your file, a meeting's about to start or that someone's trying to contact you.' 'Ping fatigue' refers to the state of mental exhaustion that leads to an 'always on' attitude when you receive an endless stream of digital notifications from platforms like Teams, Slack, email and Google Drive. It can leave you stressed, distracted and unable to maintain your focus. Duris is convinced that this growing issue exhausts the energy of office and tech workers in ways they're unaware of, adding, 'It's one of the things that silently contributes to burnout for office and tech workers.' Plus, he says these multiple distractions can make it more difficult to focus and get into a flow state where you feel able to tackle your work. 'There should always be a balance between getting on with your tasks and being available to your colleagues, especially if you work in a collaborative environment, according to Duris. 'I wouldn't advise anybody to feel like they are 'always on'—especially outside of work hours.' Duris offers four tips on how you can manage your devices and prevent "ping fatigue.' 1. 'Try setting aside specific times for checking your emails and other messages. If you need a period of deep work, you can always turn off your notifications for some time or just simply turn off the sound on your computer.' 2. 'If you use Slack or Teams, you can set your status to 'busy' to let everyone know ahead of time that you might respond slower.' 3. 'Take scheduled breaks away from the screen if you can, especially during your lunch break. There's nothing better than eating with a calm mind.' 4. 'Unsubscribing to the newsletters you don't read can help you cut down the incoming notifications.' 1. 'Avoid sending messages outside of work hours. Your team will be grateful to not feel like they have to be 'always on'. If you have a great idea that you think you might forget in minutes, just write the email and schedule it for the next morning.' 2. 'Send company updates in batches for conciseness. Friendly reminder: HR, senior leadership and employee committees may need to collaborate on this for an effective weekly communications.' 3. 'Try introducing a pre-planned 'quiet time'. Many IT companies swear by it nowadays. That's when no communication is allowed, and all team members work on their own projects uninterrupted.' Ironically, the very devices that reduce stress, save time and improve your life can exacerbate stress if not properly managed. Just because your device pings doesn't mean you have to answer it on cue, letting it become the boss of your mind. Allowing intrusive pinging to call the shots automatically puts you in a foot race that can leave you frazzled. It's time to end your love affair with pinging devices. Tackling 'ping fatigue' can bring you more peace of mind, improve your focus and engagement and boost your productivity in the long run. Duris concludes that cutting down on 'ping fatigue"can make you more productive and strengthen your focus. 'The less notifications throughout the day, the better. And of course, it can also make work less stressful, with fewer competing distractions.' He concludes that when you're relaxed, you're better able to problem-solve and deal with daily work challenges.
