What is the Definition of Sabbatical and Why Do You Need One?

The definition of sabbatical is an extended break from work.

While they have been around for a long time, there is reference to taking breaks from work in the bible, and many professions such as professors, and artists, and clergy take sabbaticals…they have recently gained popularity again in the U.S.

The term “extended break” is a vague term, and generally means longer than is typical for your workplace or profession. Teachers typically get a summer vacation of 3 months, so a sabbatical for them would exceed 3 months in length. For the rest of us, we may consider a sabbatical longer than a month. It seems to me that 6 months or longer would be an appropriate amount of time for an extended break from work.

Typically a sabbatical is for a specific purpose, to write a book, conduct research, travel, or simply to re-charge your batteries. This might be an option if you are showing signs you need a career change.

Sabbaticals are discussed in the context of “asking permission” from your place of work to take time off, however, a sabbatical could also be the time in between jobs. If you are contemplating a career change, with a little planning you might be able to extend the time between jobs to learn a new skill, travel, or rest.

Why you need a sabbatical

You may need a sabbatical if for any reason you need an extended break from work, and whether you are self-employed or work for someone else.

A sabbatical is a great choice if you love your work and your employer, but just need time to focus on activities other than those related to your job.

Maybe you would like to learn a new skill that would improve the quality of your work, or maybe you have a Novel just waiting to get out if your only had the time to spend working on it.

Artists and other creative individuals can use sabbaticals to get their energy and creativity back if they are suffering from a creative block. Sometimes instead of trying to force and push through a space, it is best to take a step backwards and let it “come to you”.

When Sean announced that he was leaving his job, many people suggested a sabbatical in lieu of quitting. This was certainly an option, but we did not feel that even IF a leave was granted that it would address the bigger questions we were asking ourselves.

There are several good books on the subject, some of which you can purchase below.