<aside> 👋 Welcome to How to Sabbatical! This guide is a collection of essays and resources from thoughtful humans who have designed and embarked on their own sabbaticals. Inspired by their stories, I’ve curated their writing to serve as a guide for others navigating their own in between.
This doc is accompanied by the Work & Self-Expression series where I explore our relationship with work, creativity, and the in between.
If you have recommendations for other essays to add, I’d love to hear from you. DM me on Twitter.
— Cissy Hu
This guide was last updated December 12, 2023. All new resources highlighted in green.
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The magic of sabbaticals is that there’s no one way to do it. Sabbaticals are meant to be a manifestation of our curiosities so it’s worth experimenting with what environments get you into the wonderful state that makes your self-expression and exploration inevitable.
A few things to think about as you get started:
How can you start your sabbatical in a way that’s conducive to turning inward?
I spent the first 2 months of my sabbatical in the suburbs housesitting for my parents. For me, spending time away from the bustle of San Francisco helped me tune into my intuition on how I wanted to spend my time and what interests I was gravitating towards. It’s easy to get caught up in all the things that other people are doing especially when you live in a city that nurtures agency and you belong to communities filled with inspiring people. While looking to others for guidance and inspiration may propel your exploration forward, be mindful that you don’t conflate the interests of others with your own aspirations. Be intentional about self-reflection regardless of who is around.
What daily and weekly routines will get you into a state of flow?
I’ve lived by my calendar for years and knew that staring at a blank schedule would send me into a state of paralysis. I started putting open blocks of time on my calendar and allocating them to the defined buckets I was prioritizing: inner work, writing, reading, movement & training, projects, community building & friends, learning, emails, and time with my partner. Each week, I’ve refined my process during my weekly review. This has worked incredibly well for me although others on sabbatical often opt to set themselves free from their calendar.
The important thing for me was shifting from time management to emotional embracement. Without a calendar full of meetings and deadlines, my job has become preserving my highs and knowing when to recharge to bridge the lows. If you operate best working alongside others, check out digital communities like FlowClub, FocusMate, and Groove where you can virtually co-work with others.
Who do you want to collaborate with? What do you want to work on?
Once you have a good sense of where you’d like to spend your time and spaces you’d like to explore, put a call out to friends, former colleagues, and people in your network via a Collab with Me doc.
Collab with Me Notion template
I knew there were specific areas I wanted to dig into — psychological wellness, human flourishing, cultures of agency, etc. — so I created my own Collab with Me doc and shared it with friends. It makes for a simple way to keep folks updated on what you’re up to and a useful way to get new friends up to speed on your interests.