Making Time for Rest

For 18 years, Automattic has offered every employee the core benefit of a three-month paid sabbatical every five years. This year, for the first time, Matt took a sabbatical himself.

In this exclusive conversation, we’ll unpack the challenges and benefits of making time for rest as well as the impact and practicality of taking breaks.

Resting is a difficult thing for many of us. We’ll use part of the conversation to explore the unhealthy relationship some of us develop with work, why it’s so hard to step away, and strategies we could employ to create more opportunities for rest.

What You’ll Learn

• Matt’s background as a lifestyle blogger and his creation of WordPress due to dissatisfaction with existing platforms
• Discussion on open source software and its benefits
• Matt’s recent experience taking his first sabbatical after 18-19 years
• Matt’s reflections on preparing for and taking his sabbatical, including unexpected challenges
• The clarity and efficiency gained in work processes while preparing for the sabbatical
• Importance of making time for rest and reflection.
• Matt’s thoughts on balancing work and personal life, especially in a 24/7 global company.