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Makeryear is the answer to this question.
I was inspired by Stefan Sagmeister's TED talk, which describes dedicating significant time for personal growth and creativity. Instead of following the default life path...
...we can retire later and use life for personal growth and exploration:
It's a helpful way to balance living like there's no tomorrow with the possibility of living to 105 like my grandmother.
Frugal and motivated, I saved for 9 years. In 2014, my partner and I stored our possessions, moved out of our home, and took a one-way flight to Thailand. I called it Makeryear and I created things in 21 countries.
This experience unintentionally transformed my life. I shed my fear of the outside world and became a gentler person.
What I thought would be a negative hit to my career became a gift of perspective and confidence that enhanced it. I returned to the working world for another 7 years, designing software and experiences for frog and Tableau.
As the covid pandemic waned late 2022, I was ready for another Makeryear. Unlike the first, this was an intentional journey inward. I focused on personal growth and exploration while embracing creation. The therapeutic process, becoming a dog owner, gardening, and bouldering taught patience and calm.
The death of a dear family member allowed me to confront my own mortality and reframe what risk and purpose mean to me.
Although I tried, I didn't return to paid work this time. After a job was rescinded 2 days before my start date, I committed myself to continue building the best thing from the prior year: A way to design time on any scale.
Makeryear is no longer a year, but a continuing process of creation and growth. The next step is releasing Hatch and seeing where the journey leads, knowing it could end by the time you finish this paragraph or continue to the 2090s when I'll be 105.
Whichever way it goes, it'll be both important and impermanent.
Jeff Weir, 2026
Jeff at makeryear dot com
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