After posting yesterday’s blog “The Power of Time Off”, I came across another article, “What are Sabbaticals – Sabbaticals vs. Vacations“.
This really got me to thinking because I am planning to take at least a 30-day sabbatical, not a vacation, when I finally leave my day j-o-b. I am planning the financial side now by saving money to meet my daily living expenses, but I realize I also need a plan, a focus. I won’t be on vacation and I don’t want to fritter away my precious time. I realize I will need a break, a transition time to rest, rejuvenate and renew before beginning to live a new life as a self-employed writer, teacher and artist.
Of course plans may change between now and my 30-day sabbatical, but here is a list of some of the things I’d like to do…
- Start each day by sleeping in a little later, maybe 630-7am, followed by a daily walk with my husband at the park and 30 minutes of meditation.
- Healthy eating all day.
- Spend 3-4 hours every morning working on my book. Some days writing, some days research.
- Yoga break after a light lunch.
- Afternoons spent studying and learning something new. Maybe I’ll finally indulge my desire to immerse myself in learning all I can about WordPress theme design.
- Late afternoon trip to the farmers market to get fresh veggies for dinner.
- Cap off the evening with a few hours of reading and then early to bed.
30-days of taking care of myself by sleeping, exercising and eating healthy, writing, learning and reading – now, that’s an ideal sabbatical for me!
What would an ideal 30-day sabbatical (or longer) look like for you?
Sandy, I’m inspired! I can’t wait to hear how your 30-day sabbatical impacts you.
Hi Barbara,
Thanks for the comment. I do plan to disconnect for most of the time. Maybe check emails and that sort of thing. I am hoping to do this at the end of January 2010 and the whole month of February. I plan to write about it, but not post anything until it is over. A Sabbatical Plan sounds like a good idea. I have to think about that.
Thanks again.
Sandy
Sandy,
First, thanks for mentioning Elizabeth’s post on the difference between vacations and sabbaticals. (my business partner.) I’m interested to know if you plan to totally disconnect from work when your do a 30-day sabbatical? or will you blog about it? And when are you planning that?
Might want to consider actually writing a Sabbatical Plan. bpagano@yoursabbatical.com
Thanks, Barbara. I like how you define sabbaticals. The TED talk is actually what started me thinking about Sabbaticals. I watched it on Monday and posted it on my blog on Tuesday.
Thanks, again. Sandy
I guess you didn’t know me when I was writing a lot about sabbaticals. My definition of sabbatical is “time away with a purpose.” Sometimes people who are simply unemployed say they’re taking one, but it’s not very accurate. I also identified the kinds of purposes that are most common to sabbatical takers: Career development, creative renewal (the purpose of my sabbatical a decade ago), extended travel, and volunteer for a cause.
Have you seen the TED talk from the designer who takes a year off every seven years? It’s brilliant.
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