The Art of the Sabbatical
How to make your time off fulfilling and transformational
I’m passionate about sabbaticals and have been talking to clients and friends about them a lot lately. A sabbatical can allow you to break out of doing, and spend time on being & becoming.
People often ask me what they “should” be doing to maximize their sabbatical, but there’s no single formula. I think it’s important to take enough time off (at least 3 months, 6-12 seems to be a sweet spot) and to actually unplug (for at least the first chunk of it). But a lot of it is personal and tied to a specific moment in your life.
While sabbaticals come in many flavors — I’ve taken several myself over the last 15 years — I’ve found a few universal tips and structures helpful when coaching people through how to approach them.
Step #1: Where are you right now?
If you’re ever lost in the wilderness, experts will tell you to stop and observe where you are. It’s a natural instinct to keep moving, but aimlessly moving usually just makes you more tired, more lost, more confused, and makes it harder for others to find you. By slowing down, you can take stock of where you are, look for key resources like shelter and water, signal for help, and think through an actual plan. In order to find your way out, first you need to figure out where you are and what you need to make the journey.
Similarly, if you dive into your sabbatical without first getting your bearings and consciously choosing which directions to explore, you may find yourself blundering around in circles wasting your precious resources.
A few years ago, I was laid off from a failed startup. This wasn’t a chosen sabbatical per se but I mention it because it was important in shaping my thinking about them, both for what I did and did not do with the couple months I had in between jobs. I was getting a ton of inbound interest from day 1 of being unemployed, so I threw myself into figuring out my next steps without really pausing to catch my breath. As I raced down the path, I thought I was seeing signs pointing me onward, but didn’t slow down to read them carefully and question whether it was the right path.
For my next iteration of sabbatical-ing, I intentionally took a different approach. I realized that I was burned out and had a lot to process after an intense few years. My intuition told me I might be ready to take a different path, but I wasn’t yet sure what that was – and I didn’t want to just lurch around, potentially finding myself back in the same spot in another couple years. I recognized that I first needed to step back and catch my breath, recharging and reconnecting so that I could build from a place of strength & creativity rather than one of fear & risk-aversion. It’s one of the best things I ever did.
So, where are you now? What are the landmarks? What resources (e.g., money, energy, support, mental & physical health) do you have available? What support might you need to signal for? And which directions might you go?
Step #2: What’s most important?
What does having this time off mean to you? What might it bring alive in you?
Once you get your bearings, it’s time to start figuring out where you want to go. Sometimes, that’s immediately clear. Other times, it’s pure mud. Either way, starting with your values and priorities can help you begin to build the map.
When I took my most recent sabbatical, I started with some research and came across an excellent article by DJ DiDonna (founder of the Sabbatical Project) in Lenny’s Newsletter. I highly recommend reading that article and checking out the Sabbatical Project, which includes many individual’s stories of how they used their time and what they learned (this post from a former leader at LinkedIn is another insightful personal story). DJ’s concept of “stages” became my first landmarks.
I decided to break my 6-month sabbatical into 3 stages: Recharge, Explore, Integrate & Build. Giving myself a Recharging “stage” allowed the Type A Overachiever within me to relax into the unstructured elements of it. It helped me to release the anxiety around when I’d figure out my next steps, the fear that I’d just slide off into wandering aimlessly for ages. Instead, I could put a pin in those thoughts (and discussions with well-meaning others who kept asking “what’s next?”), then consciously choose to pick them up again later with fresh eyes when I moved into my Exploration stage.
(Pro tip: if you’re burned out, give yourself longer than you think here. I needed 2 months. I know several people who thought they could blow through it in a couple weeks but were shocked to discover just how much rest they needed once they slowed down. DJ’s research indicates most people need 6+ weeks.)
As I clarified my priorities for each stage (allowing for some flexibility in the latter ones), they became the compass that allowed me to map out how to spend my precious resources. My priorities were: (1) spend quality time with loved ones and in nature, (2) focus on my health (physical, mental, spiritual), (3) do activities that feed my creativity and sense of wonder, (4) explore who I am and what makes me come alive before committing to any big moves.
I do not believe there is any objectively “right” set of priorities – only right for you, right now. So before you get swept up in thinking you “should” do something like travel, step back and ask yourself what is most important to you during this time?
As I’ve seen others through this process, their priorities vary. For some, staying close to home and spending quality time with family is most important, whereas others can’t wait to fill their passport with stamps from exotic adventures. Some are excited to explore a new business idea or develop a skill, whereas others just need space away to reconnect with themselves and explore whatever comes up. Some are burned out and looking to heal, others are excited to push themselves out of their comfort zones and finally have the time for something other than work. All of these are equally valid (maybe even valid for you at different points in your life) and only you can answer the question as to what matters most to you now.
A note on travel, since that’s such a common topic: travel can be amazing and has the power to open up internal shifts by dropping you into a new physical landscape. I love to travel and found myself drawn to places like the wilds of Svalbard, searching for polar bears and the Northern lights, on my sabbatical. But it doesn't have to be a priority for you – there are other ways to break out of your routine and spend your time. I see people get caught up in thinking they “must” travel but would encourage you to check whether it’s a priority for you.
What would a fully alive version of you look like, feel like, and contribute to the world?
Step #3: What resources do you need to thrive?
Most of us are used to a fair amount of structure. So if we suddenly have a chunk of time with very little structure, it can feel disorienting and like time is slipping through our fingers. It’s easy to fall into habits like scrolling on our phones for hours, which may not align with our priorities.
I’ve found that while it’s great to have some intentionally unstructured chunks of time (on the macro and micro level, e.g., in your day and in your week/month), most of us also need some structure in order to feel our best. If you’ve ever tuned a guitar or violin, think about the balance of tension a string needs to sing.
For me, one important structure was exercise. When I get really busy, exercise is often one of the first things to go (I’m working on that!). So when I suddenly had free time a few years ago, I thought I would finally get back into great shape…but the opposite happened. Because my days were so unstructured, it was far too easy to keep procrastinating on exercising until later in the day…which too often turned into deciding to do it the next day. I was actually in worse shape at the end of 6 weeks. So with my most recent sabbatical, I put in place a few accountability mechanisms that I knew would help me honor my commitment to prioritizing my health: I continued investing in a personal trainer, prioritized morning workouts to start my day off on the right foot, and signed up for my first marathon. As I slowly made my way through the wilderness, taking care of my health made a huge difference. Our minds and bodies are profoundly linked, so I believe strongly in the value of tapping into your body when you’re doing transformative work.
Some other common areas where you might need to consciously implement some structure: a consistent sleep schedule, nutrition, maintaining community and connections with loved ones, setting a budget, deleting apps from your phone, setting boundaries around email and/or social media.
If you’re looking for help unplugging and getting out of your head, the best ways I know are moving your body, spending time in nature, and prioritizing in-person interactions. Sabbaticals can be lonely at times, since you likely got a lot of social stimulation through work, so the community piece can be especially important.
So, what structures do you need in order to care for yourself and create freedom in other areas? What support might you need from others? What boundaries do you need to draw?
Step #4: Create your own path
As you get to know the forest, you may learn some things! Not everything will be pretty. Not everything will be perfect. But it’s teaming with life if you look closely.
So, what new skills are you learning? Is your intuition growing better attuned? How are you growing stronger and more resilient as you survive each day? You may still encounter a bear or two along the path, but remember to notice what’s growing inside of you. And sometimes things that seemed of utmost importance previously shift with newfound perspective.
As you start to find your way, it’s also a great chance to experiment with things. You don’t need to commit just yet, but test out those new muscles, that new vision. When I was considering making the shift into coaching full-time, I began working with a few clients. I was still on “sabbatical” so I held it loosely. I only worked with a few people, I told some people about it as I was trying it on for size but didn’t yet shout it from the rooftops, and I charged just a nominal rate (so that it felt “real” but there wasn’t yet a long-term commitment on either side). I explicitly tried to frame it in my head as an experiment – I was in test and validate mode. And I loved it. As I did more of it, I loved it more and decided to keep going as the path built upon itself.
Slowly, I mapped parts of the wilderness. I learned some of the trails, became stronger, and connected back into a sense of wonder at all the beauty around me. That’s not to say I don’t still feel lost at times, but it allowed me to find my footing and chart a new path forward that I couldn’t have seen before.
Even if you don’t launch into a new career direction after a sabbatical – that’s certainly not a requirement – you might find yourself creating new pathways and seeing new opportunities along your old route.
Lastly, I recognize sabbaticals are a privilege, one that I am extraordinarily grateful for. Not everyone is able to take one, for financial or other reasons. But maybe you can use these tips to help you find a bit more space and choice in your life. Maybe you go sit outside for 10 minutes every morning and allow yourself to reconnect. Or you decide to reprioritize how you spend your free time to better align with your values. Or save up for a few years to make it a reality at a later date. Whatever you can do, my hope is that you can create more space to move forward with grace and creativity.
So, what’s coming alive in you? What do you want to create in the world?
A few highlights from my most recent sabbatical:
First glimpse of the Northern Lights in Norway
Hiking with my 91-year old grandmother at a historic lodge in the Hudson Valley that she’d always dreamed of visiting
Surfing in Costa Rica
Lots of delicious food in Italy
Starting to dream about the future at a yoga retreat in Mexico