Research: The Transformative Power of Sabbaticals(hbr.org)
hbr.org
Research: The Transformative Power of Sabbaticals
https://hbr.org/2023/02/research-the-transformative-power-of-sabbaticals
80 comments
In my next life I think I will do this. I decided to get married and have kids, so this one is mostly spoken for---but next time round I am doing the sabbatical thing.
It’s OK to spend your sabbatical with your family.
It’s different when you have people depending on you! Not OP but I’d love to spend a sabbatical with my family… if I could afford it. I’d need a much bigger cushion.
The antithesis of a sabbatical - having crying, yelling babies and a laundry list of chores and tasks
Daily duties are still going to be there during a sabbatical. You still have to cook and wash your clothes, your teeth and upkeep your environment, but you have full flexibility of when and how and where.
Sounds like you really like your family
Sounds like you haven't had children. It's pretty universal. It's incredibly draining literally every minute that they're awake. You have no time nor mental power left at the end of the day. For years.
I think it's very indivildual. My daughter is 9 months old now and only first 1-2 months were pretty draining. But then you just get used to it. Note that I'm working from home (for 4 years now). So it's not like I was rushing to an office asap every day.
This may be different if you have more that one kid or a different family situation of course.
This may be different if you have more that one kid or a different family situation of course.
My first was daughter was very quiet and I thought I somehow had got something right on first try. The next four of my kids has not been even though they share both parents.
I think I should be happy for this: If they'd all been as harmonic as my first one I could easily ended up giving well meant parenting advice telling others "just do as I did, be kind and careful and encouraging and it will sort itself out".
I think I should be happy for this: If they'd all been as harmonic as my first one I could easily ended up giving well meant parenting advice telling others "just do as I did, be kind and careful and encouraging and it will sort itself out".
Might things change when she starts walking?
Exactly my thought. A well-sleeping kid who stays where you put them is not that much work for now. But when they start being mobile and explore the world on their own, you will need to keep an eye on them forever.
Well, fortunatelly or not: things always change. Not to mention we are planning more kids.
But still: everything is individual.
But still: everything is individual.
No judgement here - I’m a parent who continues to make mistakes.
But it doesn’t matter if you’re building software or raising a family - it doesn’t have to be draining. In fact your best work will never show up when it is.
But it doesn’t matter if you’re building software or raising a family - it doesn’t have to be draining. In fact your best work will never show up when it is.
We have two kids under 4, and among our friends, what amazes me is how different children are - and, therefore, the parenthood experience can be.
One of my girls is the sweetest, calmest, most peaceful bundle of hugs. The other is a low-sleep, hyper-energetic, demanding chatterbox. She is unyielding and relentless from 5am, every day, and raising her is draining.
I don’t mean “resentful” - we chose this experience and chose not to outsource them to childcare. But some kids are absolutely more work: if your every day is packed 5am-7pm with sales, negotiating, customer service, and all-team workshops, if you get little sleep and no weekends or half-days, year after year, you will be tired. I bootstrapped a software business to 7 figures ARR solo, and raising her is more draining. And more rewarding.
One of my girls is the sweetest, calmest, most peaceful bundle of hugs. The other is a low-sleep, hyper-energetic, demanding chatterbox. She is unyielding and relentless from 5am, every day, and raising her is draining.
I don’t mean “resentful” - we chose this experience and chose not to outsource them to childcare. But some kids are absolutely more work: if your every day is packed 5am-7pm with sales, negotiating, customer service, and all-team workshops, if you get little sleep and no weekends or half-days, year after year, you will be tired. I bootstrapped a software business to 7 figures ARR solo, and raising her is more draining. And more rewarding.
I never cease to be amazed at how many people aren't aware that there are difficult children to raise. They seem to think that how you feel about life is determined entirely by how well you Jedi mind trick your attitude into always being positive.
Life is hard for some people! Sorry you have to hear about it in public, but if it's that annoying for you to just hear it, imagine living it!
Life is hard for some people! Sorry you have to hear about it in public, but if it's that annoying for you to just hear it, imagine living it!
I know I was like that second child you mention.
Whenever I feel sorry for myself it helps to think about my dad who had to live with me as his first child (and I have more siblings that children : )
Whenever I feel sorry for myself it helps to think about my dad who had to live with me as his first child (and I have more siblings that children : )
> some kids are absolutely more work
no argument on that point!
no argument on that point!
I have two kids
I'm currently on long term parental leave, and my perspective differs. Sabbaticals are for changing your perspective and developing in different ways from full time work. I feel like I properly have time for my kids because they're the whole focus, so it doesn't feel like a list of chores at all, or something that is preventing from living life. Instead, it feels like the most fulfilling experience of my life so far.
THe thing is - your family needs them moneys. Can't have those without a job.
And if you family is "wife+N small kids" - you can't really leave a job for long. Even if you are an IT guy with a good salary.
And if you family is "wife+N small kids" - you can't really leave a job for long. Even if you are an IT guy with a good salary.
Spendings don't expand to match earnings by magic or a law of nature. You let it happen. You don't have to.
Many people (in fact more than 50% even in the US according to cnbc [1]) live paycheck to paycheck.
Not to mention that spending structure change over time. Back when I was 20 - I only needed that much money to buy myself some food and drinks, a pair of sneakers or boots once a few years + some here and there spending. Nothing big.
Now I need to provide for my kid, wife who is on maternalily leave and I need to save some money for my mother (call it her additional pension) and my family because you can really have a family and no savings. God knows what will happen.
And if you have a kid (even one) - you need to spend a ton of money on clothes alone. They grew really fast, they get dirty when they eat or shit (in case diaper was put in a wrong way at night for example) etc.
Unless you are really rich - you won't be able to leave your job for long. I can imaginge 3-6 months leave if you are a Senior Developer or higher and you live in a country with stable economy\political situation.
In any other case - I doubt anyone will take such risks unless they are literally about to go insane or something.
[1]: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/24/more-americans-live-paycheck...
Not to mention that spending structure change over time. Back when I was 20 - I only needed that much money to buy myself some food and drinks, a pair of sneakers or boots once a few years + some here and there spending. Nothing big.
Now I need to provide for my kid, wife who is on maternalily leave and I need to save some money for my mother (call it her additional pension) and my family because you can really have a family and no savings. God knows what will happen.
And if you have a kid (even one) - you need to spend a ton of money on clothes alone. They grew really fast, they get dirty when they eat or shit (in case diaper was put in a wrong way at night for example) etc.
Unless you are really rich - you won't be able to leave your job for long. I can imaginge 3-6 months leave if you are a Senior Developer or higher and you live in a country with stable economy\political situation.
In any other case - I doubt anyone will take such risks unless they are literally about to go insane or something.
[1]: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/24/more-americans-live-paycheck...
The fact that most people do it doesn't mean that _you_ as an individual have to do the same. Source: 40, 2 kids, single earner, could retire anytime I want.
"Could" is not the question here. The question is quality of life and for many people in many countries simply access to rather basic goods.
It's great that you can just retire anytime I you want, hopefull without any downgrade for family's well being. I'm just saying this is not always on option.
It's great that you can just retire anytime I you want, hopefull without any downgrade for family's well being. I'm just saying this is not always on option.
You have enough savings to last 40+ years? That is impressive. Did you accomplish that outside of being an owner of a business?
Where would you advise people should cut back on? Education? Vacation? Toys? House size?
Maybe that's true up until you have a kid. Once you have a kid, spending expands as the kid does.
Baby require nothing but clothes, cheap food and love.
Teenagers require all sorts of things for school and activities. I mean, technically you don't have to provide them, I guess, but if you want a well developed kid who will have their own success, you have to do some investing.
Baby require nothing but clothes, cheap food and love.
Teenagers require all sorts of things for school and activities. I mean, technically you don't have to provide them, I guess, but if you want a well developed kid who will have their own success, you have to do some investing.
I'm currently taking a sabbatical for a year. My son is still young enough that he finishes school in the early afternoon and we get to spend most of the day together. It is bliss. The projects that I'm working on still get time in the morning, and in the evening.
I’m doing the same. But ageism in the software industry start to concern me since it will inevitably apply to me.
I wonder if I will always be able to find a job that easily.
I wonder if I will always be able to find a job that easily.
I've found that I've incidentally been doing this and am already planning on continuing the pattern.
I've had some shame about not making most of my past year off though. My entrepreneurial ideas haven't taken off, I didn't quite cut it with freelancing, and I honestly didn't rest that much (just spent time worrying about $).
All learning though, I now have an idea of how much I'll need to actually feel free next time.
Any other insights though? Thanks!
I've had some shame about not making most of my past year off though. My entrepreneurial ideas haven't taken off, I didn't quite cut it with freelancing, and I honestly didn't rest that much (just spent time worrying about $).
All learning though, I now have an idea of how much I'll need to actually feel free next time.
Any other insights though? Thanks!
What is your plan for retirement? Eating your savings regularly would erode compound growth.
I honestly don't think too deeply about this. I'm not at the age where I need to maximize an optimal retirement plan (of course the earlier the better). I just hope that in the end everything will work out. I'd rather focus on growing as a person now than much later in life. Compound personal growth is my focus instead of the monetary kind. A lot can change in 30 years. Maybe I'll find an alternate stream of passive income given all this free time. Maybe I'll die in 5 years. Maybe I'll find myself living a happily extremely frugal retirement in a rural area. Or maybe I'll just continue this way of living until 80.
Can I ask how old are you? I like your way of thinking
Thank you. I'm 30. Part of this thinking also comes from a place of privilege. I don't have kids and don't plan to have kids. I have a tech background and supportive family so worse case I just fall back on that. I'm not career driven though. I don't care to tie my identity, worth, personality, and life plans to my job. It's not the most secure mindset but it's what provides me the greatest sense of peace in life. Maybe "reality" will come for me. I'm too much in the present to care right now though.
> Compound personal growth is my focus instead of the monetary kind. A lot can change in 30 years.
On the flip side, if you start working on retirement now, assuming you have no kids you could retire by 45. You'll still have your strength and fitness for 15-30 years after that point.
You become less and less employable in this field the older you get beyond that, unless you're either a top N% engineer, you found your own company, or you go into senior management. The gravy train doesn't last forever.
On the flip side, if you start working on retirement now, assuming you have no kids you could retire by 45. You'll still have your strength and fitness for 15-30 years after that point.
You become less and less employable in this field the older you get beyond that, unless you're either a top N% engineer, you found your own company, or you go into senior management. The gravy train doesn't last forever.
Definitely something to keep in mind. Thank you for the wisdom.
I have also taken a 12 month break and I share your perspective. During my year off, I took amazing leaps forward on understanding myself and how to get more of what I value in life. I’ve been back to work for about 7 years now and my growth over that time is a small fraction of back when I could invest all my energy back into myself.
A net worth value can go up or down, money can inflate, markets can crash, life events can wipe away savings, but I was able to store some value that is beyond money and it keeps paying a dividend.
A net worth value can go up or down, money can inflate, markets can crash, life events can wipe away savings, but I was able to store some value that is beyond money and it keeps paying a dividend.
What kinds of ideas if you wouldn't mind sharing?
Countless creative projects. I was never much of an art type person before I started taking long breaks from work. With this free time I've been able to break away from mainstream thought towards creativity and consumption and started exploring the quiet, slow world of human perception and awareness. A stronger appreciation for the parts of society that capitalism doesn't care about because it's unprofitable. All my ideas relate to slowly engaging with an unfiltered reality. I've taken on more of an artists view of the world, and the world and nature is full of inspiration.
Just want to offer a counterpoint. I took a sabbatical last year after working continuously for nearly nine. I felt I had it, I deserved a break. I just wanted to quit and see what happens. First few weeks were great. I travelled a bit, worked on my personal website, wrote a lot of articles, but gradually I sunk into this loop of doing-nothingness. I started playing video games all day, or surfing the internet. For some people this might not be an issue, but as a person who has always thrived on challenging and creative work, malaise started hitting me very soon.
Despite having all the time in the world, my creative spirit sunk to an all time low. All the wonderful things I had planned were not happening.
I do think it was a great learning experience, but I want to offer some advice. If you're going to take one, here are a few things you should do:
1. Think of at least one major thing you would want to work on. This could be travelling, photography or your side-project. It could just be watching movies, too. I think humans like having a routine and have at least one thing to dedicate themselves to.
2. Don't plan too many things. I wanted to get fit, learn to draw, write, read and in the end, I quickly ended up doing nothing.
3. I think we tend to chalk up lot of mental health issues to our work. I don't deny this could be a possibility, but if your work isn't insanely demanding, you don't need to quit your job to fix those issues.
4. If you're planning to work on your project, you need to ask yourself why you can't do it now. Even with most demanding jobs, dedicating some time to a side pursuit isn't a hard ask.
I do plan to take another one, but instead of quitting when I am frustrated as hell, I will do it when my creative spirit is high, and I am feeling more positive about my life.
Despite having all the time in the world, my creative spirit sunk to an all time low. All the wonderful things I had planned were not happening.
I do think it was a great learning experience, but I want to offer some advice. If you're going to take one, here are a few things you should do:
1. Think of at least one major thing you would want to work on. This could be travelling, photography or your side-project. It could just be watching movies, too. I think humans like having a routine and have at least one thing to dedicate themselves to.
2. Don't plan too many things. I wanted to get fit, learn to draw, write, read and in the end, I quickly ended up doing nothing.
3. I think we tend to chalk up lot of mental health issues to our work. I don't deny this could be a possibility, but if your work isn't insanely demanding, you don't need to quit your job to fix those issues.
4. If you're planning to work on your project, you need to ask yourself why you can't do it now. Even with most demanding jobs, dedicating some time to a side pursuit isn't a hard ask.
I do plan to take another one, but instead of quitting when I am frustrated as hell, I will do it when my creative spirit is high, and I am feeling more positive about my life.
From experience, having taken a four months sabbatical after a particularly draining three years bout of work, what you were experiencing is normal. I think people underestimate how much time it takes to actually get ride of all the stress they have accumulated.
The first two-ish months, I spent most of time buming around. I too got to a point where I thought I was wasting my time but it downed on me that it was actually a good thing. I had finally reached a point where I felt the need to do something more fulfilling and from there on, I naturally started filling my time with things making me more happy.
> 4. If you're planning to work on your project, you need to ask yourself why you can't do it now. Even with most demanding jobs, dedicating some time to a side pursuit isn't a hard ask.
That's illusory for a lot of us.
I can and do find some time for side pursuits because I refuse to let my work fill up my whole life as it could but taking on a significant side project would come at an unaffordable cost to my family life.
The first two-ish months, I spent most of time buming around. I too got to a point where I thought I was wasting my time but it downed on me that it was actually a good thing. I had finally reached a point where I felt the need to do something more fulfilling and from there on, I naturally started filling my time with things making me more happy.
> 4. If you're planning to work on your project, you need to ask yourself why you can't do it now. Even with most demanding jobs, dedicating some time to a side pursuit isn't a hard ask.
That's illusory for a lot of us.
I can and do find some time for side pursuits because I refuse to let my work fill up my whole life as it could but taking on a significant side project would come at an unaffordable cost to my family life.
I also took a break and it sucked. The irony is that I think it sucked because I didn’t feel driven, I was fairly content in where my life was at, and more stressed about it changing than being interested in pursuing anything. I wasn’t motivated, I was demotivated.
The only thing that was actually fun was travel and my wedding. Consumption of media was not. I should have improved my health but I was depressed from having less social interaction.
Now I have a baby, new job, new house, many new responsibilities, and I’m enjoying it. Where I think I failed during my break was never really acquiring the first thing you mentioned: something creative to focus on.
The only thing that was actually fun was travel and my wedding. Consumption of media was not. I should have improved my health but I was depressed from having less social interaction.
Now I have a baby, new job, new house, many new responsibilities, and I’m enjoying it. Where I think I failed during my break was never really acquiring the first thing you mentioned: something creative to focus on.
> I should have improved my health but I was depressed from having less social interaction.
You should have joined a gym. I took a year off and one of my big goals was training muay Thai. A coworker dedicated every hour of his sabbatical to jujitsu.
Not only am I healthier than ever before, the friends I made are better than any techies I have ever met. Real people living and enjoying life, unlike half the comments here talking about how they miss the cult of productivity and how retirement will be affected. We all literally make 4x what a teacher or city worker make.
You should have joined a gym. I took a year off and one of my big goals was training muay Thai. A coworker dedicated every hour of his sabbatical to jujitsu.
Not only am I healthier than ever before, the friends I made are better than any techies I have ever met. Real people living and enjoying life, unlike half the comments here talking about how they miss the cult of productivity and how retirement will be affected. We all literally make 4x what a teacher or city worker make.
That resonates. I spent ages 21 to 34 having a good time. Maybe too good of a time, but far away from tech. The last 6 years have been great for my career and I’m lucky to have caught fire with something I built and sold and caught up.
But following that, I’m over here crunching retirement numbers every week, and making so many decisions based on my desired retirement date. I’ve learned too much about it, but it is nice to not just scoff at anyone who invests in stocks as being a conservative stiff.
But as much as saving here and there may mean I can retire while still healthy - the map is not the territory. Maybe buying a house that fits a child and is near parks and trails will mean I’m more mentally fit. Most things are less inseparable than they appear on a spreadsheet.
One of the reasons I’ve been so conservative in where I live and how I spend lately is that my parents have got old. That’s a whole other topic, but maybe this is why having a child has so far alleviated my depression.
But following that, I’m over here crunching retirement numbers every week, and making so many decisions based on my desired retirement date. I’ve learned too much about it, but it is nice to not just scoff at anyone who invests in stocks as being a conservative stiff.
But as much as saving here and there may mean I can retire while still healthy - the map is not the territory. Maybe buying a house that fits a child and is near parks and trails will mean I’m more mentally fit. Most things are less inseparable than they appear on a spreadsheet.
One of the reasons I’ve been so conservative in where I live and how I spend lately is that my parents have got old. That’s a whole other topic, but maybe this is why having a child has so far alleviated my depression.
I think your experience was valuable and it taught you something important. It should also be a flashing yellow light.
One day, either from retirement, ageism or sickness, you will probably have to stop working. When that happens, you will need the self-management skills to fill your time with joy and meaning. It’s probably best if you learn to do that sooner, rather than later.
One day, either from retirement, ageism or sickness, you will probably have to stop working. When that happens, you will need the self-management skills to fill your time with joy and meaning. It’s probably best if you learn to do that sooner, rather than later.
One software company I worked had a benefit that, in your sixth year, you could take a paid sabbatical. IIRC, it was a month, which was still a nice break, but you probably aren't going to have time to write a novel.
I heard of people using that sabbatical to pick up consulting work. (This was before FAANG salaries, so even top engineers and managers might need the extra money, such as for kids' college, more than they need to travel or take up watercolor painting.)
Professor friends who've done sabbatical, it's much longer than a month, and seems to be a change of working scene. There's no teaching load from their university, but expectations that they'll be doing research/writing of some kind. They might do it while visiting a different university.
Regarding the class equity the article mentioned, a paid contiguous month off might be something a company could swing for all employees, as acknowledgement and incentive to stay 5+ years. A paid few or more months off would be a different matter to do.
I heard of people using that sabbatical to pick up consulting work. (This was before FAANG salaries, so even top engineers and managers might need the extra money, such as for kids' college, more than they need to travel or take up watercolor painting.)
Professor friends who've done sabbatical, it's much longer than a month, and seems to be a change of working scene. There's no teaching load from their university, but expectations that they'll be doing research/writing of some kind. They might do it while visiting a different university.
Regarding the class equity the article mentioned, a paid contiguous month off might be something a company could swing for all employees, as acknowledgement and incentive to stay 5+ years. A paid few or more months off would be a different matter to do.
One month isn't a sabbatical, it's a long vacation. I regularly had Co-workers take off that long
I think the main difference is that a 1 month sabbatical is typically over-and-above your normal holiday allocation. This can make a huge difference for some people, particularly people with families.
With a normal "x weeks" of holiday those weeks quickly get committed. Vacations with your partner, childcare during school holidays, etc. Having an extra month above that can free up time for learning, pursuing hobbies, travel, etc. that is much more selfishly focused on your own interests, which can be massively invigorating - essentially exactly what a sabbatical is supposed to do, even if I agree that it would be nice to be even longer.
With a normal "x weeks" of holiday those weeks quickly get committed. Vacations with your partner, childcare during school holidays, etc. Having an extra month above that can free up time for learning, pursuing hobbies, travel, etc. that is much more selfishly focused on your own interests, which can be massively invigorating - essentially exactly what a sabbatical is supposed to do, even if I agree that it would be nice to be even longer.
This reminds me of how German employers are legally required to offer at least a month (20 working days) of paid vacation a year, and many choose to give 25-30.
Some 20 to 30 mandatory vacation days (plus public holidays) is common across Europe. And indeed, employers often offer more than that. It's incomprehensible to me why the richest country in the world doesn't seem to care about quality of life for its citizens at all.
maybe to keep staying the richest? but seriously, I'm fine here for now, for programming Europe currently seems not very appealing. Would rather try to max out my options here, or downshift remote to a low-COL place. Europe seems neither here nor there (although awesome to visit)
It’s also incredibly confortable to live there .
I miss it, and I don’t think I will miss my *3 salary once I’m back.
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A paid three month sabbatical after 5 years for somebody making $150k/year would be an extra $625/month. With the costs of other benefits, it's really not that much different and would be relatively straightforward to work into a benefits package.
Except basically everyone who takes that sabbatical immediately quits after it’s over. Seriously.
So? Even if they leave right after the sabbatical, you've successfully retained them for five years. That's an eternity in tech and definitely worth the expense.
For the contemporary tech industry reason of job-hopping being the best way to boost your salary, but a 3-month sabbatical is worth sticking around for?
Gosh, if only there were any way to prevent this. Like, and I'm just spitballing here, but what about: making your workplace somewhere they actually want to come back to!?
We've really internalized the idea the every job always has to completely suck ass, huh?
We've really internalized the idea the every job always has to completely suck ass, huh?
Most employee in Western Europe have 5+ weeks vacation.
A 1 month sabbatical is just « take most of your vacation at once »
It’s great! But I would not call it a sabbatical
A 1 month sabbatical is just « take most of your vacation at once »
It’s great! But I would not call it a sabbatical
I'm on a work break now. At the moment I have two thoughts about it. Sabbaticals are like a nuclear option for recovery, and I feel like never should have let my self get to that point that I feel like I needed one. When I return I should find some kind of better balance.
Another part of me feels work will always suck and I should figure out how to not work for as long as possible, using corporate jobs to fund long breaks. I heard this described at an anti-sabbatical.
Another part of me feels work will always suck and I should figure out how to not work for as long as possible, using corporate jobs to fund long breaks. I heard this described at an anti-sabbatical.
I started a paid six month sabbatical in December 2019. It worked out a bit different to what I expected, for all of the obvious reasons, but was still very good.
I followed some advice from my collection of personal and professional mentors, which brutally summarised were:
- Focus on family and friends (work had consumed much of my attention for 8 years so this was very positive for my relationships)
- Do (bad) art, write, draw, make music, paint etc to both have fun and to enable brain plasticity
- Ask myself some questions before the sabbatical about my priorities in life, love and work, write them down and then seal the envelope and not think about them until I opened it at the end of the sabbatical
- Work on my health
- Complete a couple of personal projects
I am a much happier, well-rounded professional as a result achieving much more impact in more complex environments than ever before, and I have quadrupled my TC in the three years afterwards while decreasing my workload.
Being away was also fairly useful for my direct reports' growth, I think.
At home, things went from good to great too. Partner happy, pets happy, friends happy, me happy.
I feel incredibly fortunate that the sabbatical (and everything else that enabled it, and surrounded such a kind and generous offer from my management) took place.
I followed some advice from my collection of personal and professional mentors, which brutally summarised were:
- Focus on family and friends (work had consumed much of my attention for 8 years so this was very positive for my relationships)
- Do (bad) art, write, draw, make music, paint etc to both have fun and to enable brain plasticity
- Ask myself some questions before the sabbatical about my priorities in life, love and work, write them down and then seal the envelope and not think about them until I opened it at the end of the sabbatical
- Work on my health
- Complete a couple of personal projects
I am a much happier, well-rounded professional as a result achieving much more impact in more complex environments than ever before, and I have quadrupled my TC in the three years afterwards while decreasing my workload.
Being away was also fairly useful for my direct reports' growth, I think.
At home, things went from good to great too. Partner happy, pets happy, friends happy, me happy.
I feel incredibly fortunate that the sabbatical (and everything else that enabled it, and surrounded such a kind and generous offer from my management) took place.
I took what was supposed to be a year in 2016. I came back after like 9 months.
I wish it was all "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately", but in earnest I was going through a bit of a rough patch and felt like I needed more time for hobbies and projects. I felt like I was drowning in duties and obligations and had no time for anything I wanted to do.
I had a bunch of stuff planned, didn't do any of them, but came back a different person with new and healthy perspectives on life. I don't think more time was what I needed at the time, but that is a hard notion to challenge if you're working a full time job. I actually had plenty of time for what I needed, which was to improve my balance in life. Have more hobbies that weren't all screen-based, to hang out with people that weren't all socially awkward engineer types.
I realize this is a bit of a luxury, but if you need it and can afford it, I would recommend taking an extended break. It's difficult to have true opinions about life if you haven't actually lived it. You can read about it all your life, but it's nothing like that.
I wish it was all "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately", but in earnest I was going through a bit of a rough patch and felt like I needed more time for hobbies and projects. I felt like I was drowning in duties and obligations and had no time for anything I wanted to do.
I had a bunch of stuff planned, didn't do any of them, but came back a different person with new and healthy perspectives on life. I don't think more time was what I needed at the time, but that is a hard notion to challenge if you're working a full time job. I actually had plenty of time for what I needed, which was to improve my balance in life. Have more hobbies that weren't all screen-based, to hang out with people that weren't all socially awkward engineer types.
I realize this is a bit of a luxury, but if you need it and can afford it, I would recommend taking an extended break. It's difficult to have true opinions about life if you haven't actually lived it. You can read about it all your life, but it's nothing like that.
My work offers a 6 week sabbatical every 5 years. I've had 3 sabbaticals. I've spent all of them working on projects around the house that my wife has dreamed up. I spend most of the sabbatical looking forward to going back to work where I can get some rest and relaxation.
6 weeks every 5 years? Is that on top of normal vacation or instead of vacation? In large parts of Europe 5-6 weeks is the normal annual vacation
On top of. We get 10 holidays + 1 floating holiday each year. We get a week off each summer. We get paid Fridays off during the summer. Plus we get a paid time off day each pay period (so, 26 days each year). The paid time off days can be saved up and roll over from year to year. Not including the Fridays off, I could take approximately 16 weeks (4 months) of vacation this year if I wanted to. And this year is not a sabbatical year. In a sabbatical year, I could potentially take off nearly 6 months (6 weeks of sabbatical + 11 holiday days (about 2.5 wees) + 1 week off in the summer + 12.5 weeks of paid time off = 22 weeks = 5.5 months. If I add in the Fridays off in the summer, it would be more than 6 months off.
I did a similar thing recently taking ~6wks to get a big renovation project underway. It wasn’t really ‘relaxing’ but it was a great way to get a lot of TODO monkeys off my back and gave me more of an appreciation for different types of labor.
"Our 50 interviewees worked in a variety of private, public, and non-profit organizations from diverse sectors including consulting, design, finance, medicine, education, and technology..."
Honestly, Blue collar workers need a sabbatical just as badly and you will NEVER see this occur outside of some exceptional anectdote which I'm sure will be mentioned in a reply to this post.
Honestly, Blue collar workers need a sabbatical just as badly and you will NEVER see this occur outside of some exceptional anectdote which I'm sure will be mentioned in a reply to this post.
Agreed, the wealth disparity gap in this country is disheartening. I have a similar story and felt so much shame at first in drawing from my savings to do so -- especially with some visits to third world countries and some of the harder parts of that life.
Tightly knit family structures do allow for this kind of sabbatical more often, but I do support initiatives like UBI for this (and other) reasons. Not to make it political as to which solution is best -- this is just one reason where I think it offers a good solution (all else being equal).
Tightly knit family structures do allow for this kind of sabbatical more often, but I do support initiatives like UBI for this (and other) reasons. Not to make it political as to which solution is best -- this is just one reason where I think it offers a good solution (all else being equal).
I've got one of these scheduled. I'm going to quit my job in August, and focus on my own projects, as well as the mentioned rekindling connections. A mix of practical (engineering/electronics) projects, and more out-there things like computational chemistry simulations.
Starting my own in one week. Similarly a mix of the three types discussed in the article. Started out simply as dissatisfaction over pay cuts -- but each day I'm realizing how incredibly burnt out I am -- which I've previously somehow managed to forget each weekend.
The managed to forget each weekend piece resonates with me.
For my life journey, these sabbaticals were transformative. I had several tough. I love the definition by Paul Millerd, "mini-retirement." Instead of waiting for your retirement in the sixties, take more minor once along. I wrote more about how it shaped me in "Finding My Pathless Path" at https://www.sspaeti.com/blog/finding-my-pathless-path/.
I took a year long sabbatical during COVID (been back working for a year) and the taste of freedom has made me really not want to work anymore.
Its great if you want to leave your job. Spend a few months looking for a new role then go back to the old company if you can't find anything better.
How long is the average sabbatical?
I am coming up on a year in two days, quest-type sabbatical.
I was extremely burnt out when I was laid off, and while I had done a lot of work on myself, a lot had piled up and I knew I couldn't job hunt in good faith. I'm autistic as well so it would completely exhaust me on a good day.
I took six months to even just start doing 'normal'-ish things. I spent over a thousand hours processing long-overdue unprocessed emotions (i.e. decades old, for some of them), and working on accepting certain parts of myself that I hid behind the noise of work.
I was able to come to terms with accepting my own autism. I was able to drop a mental health diagnosis after much personal work. I made a side project that got a lot of good attention and that I have great hopes for. And after just a year, I'm finally able to just start doing little social step things -- like going to a bar for 20-30 minutes just to take in the ambiance. Noise for me is maybe 5-8x impactful compared to the average person due to the sensory sensitivity of autism (could be 10, but building a good estimate is hard), so even with nothing else on the schedule it takes me a good few hours to amp up to (and a day or two to cool down from and decompress/process).
I would never have been able to do that with work and all of the demands. In fact, I had to bury the hypersensitivity so deep as a survival mechanism that I didn't think I felt anything sensorially too strongly, but I also felt constantly panicked and dead inside.
Now that I'm more in tune with myself, I'll just sometimes, not always, and even more rarely look at some things, even small negative things, and just feel a leap of joy that I even get the chance to be alive to experience it. For me, it was the beauty of all of the red lights in a merging traffic jam on the freeway. That euphoria is hard to capture.
It's a lot of work and my retirement account is chomped, but I know the kind of work I want to do that lets me use my autism as a strength and gives me enough time on the side to learn how to keep innoculating against normally overstimulating environments -- it gets better with exposure and time as the brain starts deciding that certain things are no longer "new information".
The thing that people forget is that there's an opportunity cost with _not_ taking 3 months 6, or a year+ to work on yourself.
It's an exponentially impactful thing.
Investing now means you have the rest of your life to reap the benefits from what you learn. It can drastically shape the course of your life.
It's all work in the end, but good and uncomfortable work on self. I still am work-addicted at heart, but as I keep working on the trauma bonds that hold me into that particular coping mechanism, I can watch, almost entirely live, the future that I'm likely to attempt to head towards.
I've made a lot of progress as a person but there's no reason to work in a holding pattern forever. I have so much to learn and constantly feel like I'm wasting my time and at the beginning of my journey. And I still suffer a lot, too, but that's a work in progress for now. That said, I wouldn't trade how I _feel_ right now for a consistent pattern of misery.
I never, ever want to go back to that again, if I can help it. And I'd like to avoid having values to at draw me towards that way of living again.
I know this had a few purple prosey leanings at points, it's been a good journey. Thank you for reading this far if you did, and please feel free to let me know if you have any questions.
Many thanks, and much love! :D <3 <3 <3 <3 :D
I was extremely burnt out when I was laid off, and while I had done a lot of work on myself, a lot had piled up and I knew I couldn't job hunt in good faith. I'm autistic as well so it would completely exhaust me on a good day.
I took six months to even just start doing 'normal'-ish things. I spent over a thousand hours processing long-overdue unprocessed emotions (i.e. decades old, for some of them), and working on accepting certain parts of myself that I hid behind the noise of work.
I was able to come to terms with accepting my own autism. I was able to drop a mental health diagnosis after much personal work. I made a side project that got a lot of good attention and that I have great hopes for. And after just a year, I'm finally able to just start doing little social step things -- like going to a bar for 20-30 minutes just to take in the ambiance. Noise for me is maybe 5-8x impactful compared to the average person due to the sensory sensitivity of autism (could be 10, but building a good estimate is hard), so even with nothing else on the schedule it takes me a good few hours to amp up to (and a day or two to cool down from and decompress/process).
I would never have been able to do that with work and all of the demands. In fact, I had to bury the hypersensitivity so deep as a survival mechanism that I didn't think I felt anything sensorially too strongly, but I also felt constantly panicked and dead inside.
Now that I'm more in tune with myself, I'll just sometimes, not always, and even more rarely look at some things, even small negative things, and just feel a leap of joy that I even get the chance to be alive to experience it. For me, it was the beauty of all of the red lights in a merging traffic jam on the freeway. That euphoria is hard to capture.
It's a lot of work and my retirement account is chomped, but I know the kind of work I want to do that lets me use my autism as a strength and gives me enough time on the side to learn how to keep innoculating against normally overstimulating environments -- it gets better with exposure and time as the brain starts deciding that certain things are no longer "new information".
The thing that people forget is that there's an opportunity cost with _not_ taking 3 months 6, or a year+ to work on yourself.
It's an exponentially impactful thing.
Investing now means you have the rest of your life to reap the benefits from what you learn. It can drastically shape the course of your life.
It's all work in the end, but good and uncomfortable work on self. I still am work-addicted at heart, but as I keep working on the trauma bonds that hold me into that particular coping mechanism, I can watch, almost entirely live, the future that I'm likely to attempt to head towards.
I've made a lot of progress as a person but there's no reason to work in a holding pattern forever. I have so much to learn and constantly feel like I'm wasting my time and at the beginning of my journey. And I still suffer a lot, too, but that's a work in progress for now. That said, I wouldn't trade how I _feel_ right now for a consistent pattern of misery.
I never, ever want to go back to that again, if I can help it. And I'd like to avoid having values to at draw me towards that way of living again.
I know this had a few purple prosey leanings at points, it's been a good journey. Thank you for reading this far if you did, and please feel free to let me know if you have any questions.
Many thanks, and much love! :D <3 <3 <3 <3 :D
Unfortunately, the research paper is paywalled, and I can't find a preprint.
Try opening it in Brave. Works for me.
I did. It is still nagging for $30: https://journals.aom.org/doi/full/10.5465/amd.2021.0100
I'd be a husk of personality if I didn't have this time to think slowly about life with full mental clarity. There was a month where I would wake up daily and go for an extremely long walk or bike ride and just sit next to the river for hours. Some of my best thoughts and ideas came from doing this. There was no work drama or deadlines ruining this thinking process.