Whether you’re a project founder, CEO, or entrepreneur, taking a sabbatical and sunsetting features are both difficult decisions to make. It can be hard to know when the right time is to take a break or discontinue an unsuccessful feature. But there’s no need to worry—we have some advice from experts on the topic! Keep reading for some helpful tips on planning a sabbatical and when to sunset a feature.
Planning a Sabbatical
Taking the time to plan your sabbatical can help ensure that it is as successful as possible. Lenny Rachitsky of the Accidental PM Newsletter recommends conducting business reviews prior to taking the break, offering suggestions such as setting up recurring weekly meetings with team members so that progress can be tracked throughout the process. Gagan Biyani’s podcast episode on how he planned his year-long sabbatical also provides great advice on how to prepare for taking time off work. Finally, Aman Manik’s exercise helps you plan out what you should do during your break in order to make sure it is productive and meaningful.
When to Sunset a Feature Natalie Nagele of Wildbit offers insight into her experience discontinuing an unsuccessful feature and shares her considerations for deciding when it’s time to sunset something that isn’t working out. Melissa Appel suggests experimenting before making any big decisions and evaluating what value vs cost would look like if you decided to do version two of an existing feature instead of getting rid of it entirely. Finally, hearing about other people’s experiences attempting this themselves can provide great insight into making this decision.
Conclusion:
Taking the time to plan ahead with thoughtful consideration will pay off in spades in both cases—whether it’s planning for your sabbatical or deciding whether or not it’s time for a feature sunsetting. By taking advantage of all the expert advice available on these topics, you’ll be able to make decisions that are beneficial for both yourself and your business in the long run! So take some time today reflect on whether either of these might be something that could benefit you and your company right now! Remember—you won’t regret investing this kind of thoughtfulness into your future plans!
