How to Take a Sabbatical
If you’ve ever wondered if you should take a sabbatical, this is a great place to start. We’ll break down what you need to consider when deciding how, when, or even if you should take a sabbatical. A sabbatical can seem like a huge undertaking, and it can be. However, it can also be easier than you think and oh so worth it!
So, should you take a sabbatical? That’s an excellent question. Let’s get into it.
What is a Sabbatical?
It’s a time away from work and daily life for the purposes of rest, reflection, research, or rejuvenation. Sabbaticals are longer than a typical 1-2 week vacation. They are generally at least 1 month long, though 3-4 month sabbaticals are most common. Some people take even longer leaves of 6 to 12 months or more. No matter how long you’re gone, a sabbatical serves as a pause in daily life to allow you to think, explore, and fully decompress.
A Sabbatical usually has a specific purpose besides time away from your daily life.
Common Sabbatical Purposes Include:
Extended break between jobs to reset, realign, think, sleep, read
Break after finishing a degree or before starting one (gap year)
Conduct research and/or interviews for a book or project
Research for family project/family legacy
Learn a new skill or language
Make a pilgrimage along a well-known path or one of your own making
Solo travel and exploration or family bonding – sabbaticals frequently involve both
Most importantly, it’s a break from your day-to-day with the purpose of bringing you back refreshed and with new energy or ideas
Who Can Take A Sabbatical?
Though sabbaticals are most common among clergy and those who work in higher education (think tenured professors), they are increasingly common in Corporate America. There are no rules around what can be considered a “proper sabbatical”, however. If it works for you, it works. End of story. Regardless of your occupation, anyone can take a sabbatical.
Why Take A Sabbatical?
There are as many reasons to take a sabbatical as there are people interested in doing so. There are some common benefits, such as:
Avoid or come back from burnout
Restore your health or improve your health (hopefully the latter so you don’t have to do the former)
Learn something
Create something
Restore your faith in yourself or humanity
Figure out if something you are wondering about is even possible
To figure out your reasons why, ask yourself these questions:
What kind of break do you need
Physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, all?
If more than one, which is most pressing? (You can start there and then work on the other needs.)
What are your go-tos for handling the issues you’re dealing with?
Run, yoga, journaling, therapist, hike, solo day/trip
If you don’t know, ask for help from family, friends, or a coach like me
Are you running from or running toward something?
What is it you hope to accomplish with this sabbatical?
Rest, research, personal growth, family bonding, new skill?
What would you like to be different on the other side?
How will that change your daily life or overall life?
Where Should You Go on Your Sabbatical?
The short answer is, anywhere you can think of that fits your needs. Some options to get you started thinking:
Lake house
Beach house
Cabin in the forest
Retreat center
Specific pilgrimage path and lodgings
Journey through a specific country or countries
I do strongly recommend that you leave your house/town and maybe even state/country. The more space you put between yourself and your daily life, the easier it is to unplug (literally and figuratively), get out of your head, and enjoy the time away. Immersion is ideal.
How?
Wait! I know where your head is going. Before you get mired in logistics;
Determine your own success metric. How will you know you’ve had the sabbatical you need?
How do you want to feel on your sabbatical and afterwards?
What do you want to be possible on your sabbatical, and when you return to daily life?
How will you know you’ve achieved this? Use your metrics, not anyone else’s.
Consider what to do - What are the activities that you know will help you get there?
What not to do - What are the things you know you should not do because they will interfere with your personal definition of success? What should you avoid because it shakes or ruins your sense of peace?
Now that you have defined success for yourself, how do you make it work logistically?
For a lot of people, this is the big question. Since sabbaticals are time away from work, how do you pay for them? The good news is that there are lots of options. Be creative, combine a few or make your own options:
Pool a lot of or all of your vacation time and take the longest break you can
Many companies offer PTO. You should take some time off every year – it is good for you and the company. But if you can accrue PTO from year-to-year (usually up to a limit that is around 2 months or 320 hours), then do so and take a couple of months off to clear your head, rest your body, and take care of yourself
Save actual cash from your paycheck over time in a dedicated savings account. Even $50-$100 per month adds up over time and can help extend other options.
Find creative ways to pay
Side hustle/part-time job – it’s nice to frame a job as “I just do this so I can travel”
House sitting
Borrowing houses of friends or family
House swap – someone with a similar job who wants to do the same thing? Maybe you met at a conference and stayed in touch over the years/repeated conferences.
Perks of your job – clergy can frequently get a free house for a week at a time if they preside at the Sunday service. The bonus is that these are usually in beautiful vacation spots. Cutting out housing costs is a BIG savings.
Downsize, if it fits the life you are trying to build, and use some of your equity to take or extend your sabbatical.
Take advantage of the time between jobs, when you are probably still getting paid from the last job – AND you technically work for no one, so no one can try to bother you with work questions. Paying for COBRA for a month or so may be worth it to give you a much-needed break.
If you are in a profession that typically has sabbaticals, there are different entities that may help pay, such as dioceses, churches, trustees, and grants specifically for sabbaticals.
There are lots of grants for research and such that could be used to fund a sabbatical. Write them before you NEED them and make sure you know what you need to turn in when you get them.
Remember that grants may have some tax implications, especially if any portion is used to pay for family member expenses.
When?
A Sabbatical doesn’t have to be a one-and-done deal. Though there are benefits from any sabbatical, they work best if they are taken periodically. If you can manage it, every 4-7 years is ideal. This is frequently enough to refresh your mind, body, and spirit to keep you from burning out and to keep the creativity that comes with new ideas and/or skills flowing. It’s far enough apart to allow you to immerse yourself in your work and community to build a life you love and find meaningful.
As for a specific season, the time of year is completely up to you. It can be based on where you want to go, why, and what you want to experience there. You may also choose times that are less stressful to be away from your daily routine, based on your job or family situation.
In Conclusion:
Trust your intuition about when to take your next sabbatical. Best practices are to plan ahead and get help paying for your time away when you can. Be sure you know why you want to take a sabbatical and exactly how you will measure your own success both on your sabbatical and when you return to daily life afterwards. Encourage and support those around you to take sabbaticals as well so that the cycle of rejuvenation and fresh ideas continues to work its magic for everyone. After all, we do not live in order to work. Rather, we work so that we can have a life. How do you want to create yours?
