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.

The Importance of Setting Goals

Setting goals is important for all of us that want to accomplish more with our lives, and that want positive outcomes from our decisions.

Gina and I and the kids were bouncing down a dirt road on a bus somewhere in the Andes when we looked at each other and knew that we could “pull this off”. We knew that we could change our lives, and start something completely different in Ecuador.

On August 1st of that same year, less than 5 months since that bus ride in the Andes, we backed out of our driveway for the last time. We were heading south…first to California, then to Costa Rica, and Panama, and Ecuador, and most likely Chile, Argentina, Uraguay, and more…

In less than 5 months, we quit our jobs, sold our house and all of the STUFF that went along with it, and managed the thousands of details that went along with this. How did we do it? By setting goals!

Setting goals is simply the process of determining what you want, determining what goals will give you want you want, prepare a plan of action, take action and implement the plan, and monitor the plan and make adjustments as necessary.

For me it is the act of spending time thinking about what we want that is the most important. To put an action plan together and executing it is fairly simple, but to determine what you want is difficult. That which is difficult provides the most value.

So, my recommendation is not to rush this part of the process. Spend an adequate amount of time understanding what makes you tick, what are the real issues you are facing, and where you passions and interests lie. The time you spend on this part of the process will improve your results immeasurably.

Studies have shown that those that set goals are more successful than those that don’t. Intuitively this makes sense to me, if a have a plan of where I want to go I stand a better chance of getting there than if I don’t have a plan.

Goal setting works for three main reasons:

1. Gives you a target. You have a specific target to aim for, and a road map to get you there.
2. Provides a focus. This focus allows you to concentrate all of your time and energy for a singular purpose, accomplishing your goals.
3. Provides Motivation. It is easy for us to get sidetracked by our lives. By putting your goals in writing you have a reminder of what is important to you and what you want to accomplish in your life. Working on goals that are important to you gives you motivation to succeed.

I am writing this article sitting in our apartment in Cotacachi, Ecuador…a small town nestled in the Andes. We have accomplished our goals, we have made the lifestyle change that we first thought about on that bumpy bus ride…and setting goals was an important part of the process.