Peace > Productivity: Sabbatical Goals to Promote Rest - Abby Fox
Have you ever taken a sabbatical? The concept was a bit foreign to me before I had the opportunity to take my own earlier this year. I think it’s foreign to a lot of people.
When I would share about my upcoming sabbatical, I was often met with questions like: What do you plan to accomplish during your time away? Where are you traveling? What will you do with yourself?!
I wasn’t exactly sure how to answer them. We have conditioned ourselves to be agents of productivity. Much to the benefit of society and - all too often - at the expense of our mental health. Steven Lawson refers to this as “productivity culture” in his article “Why Chasing Productivity Won’t Make You More Productive (and What To Do Instead)”.
Those of us in the nonprofit sector are certainly familiar with productivity culture. Our measures of success are driven by dollars raised, personal visits completed, accounts managed, new donors acquired, impact reports produced, and so on. We set goals each year to surpass the activity of the last. All in the pursuit of advancing a mission we care deeply about.
But in the process of setting and accomplishing these quantitative goals, are we remembering to pause for a qualitative assessment of our lives? To play the long game by reflecting on what truly holds value. I, for one, did not.
Until I began to plan for my sabbatical. Below are the goals I set for myself to prioritize peace over productivity during a season of rest.
1. Practice healthy rhythms - My sabbatical came at the completion of a long and arduous project. I had been cutting corners personally to make more time for work. Neglecting the healthy rhythms I knew my body needed to thrive. So goal No. 1 was so very basic. Move my body regularly. Eat nourishing food. Drink water. Get a full night’s sleep. If you really want to get some strange looks from people, tell them this is what you are doing with your time off work. 😳 It may have been a little embarrassing to admit it, but this is what I needed.
2. Reflect - What do you value? Have your values changed over time? Does the life you are living reflect your values? Are you able to fully show up in all areas of your life?
These are some things I pondered, journaled, prayed about during my sabbatical. I am a Christian and reflection has been a big part of my spiritual journey, but - like my health - I somehow let that take a back seat to the priority of the moment. When I checked back in, some of my values had shifted. I had grown and the “comfortable” life I had created no longer fit. Like a houseplant in the wrong-sized pot.
3. Redefine routine - This goal emerged only after reflection. I didn’t want to go back to the exact life I was living before, so I needed to redefine my routine. To write it down. To practice what I wanted it to be so that when I joined the working world again, I didn’t repeat the past. It was during this exercise that I decided to come back only part time for several months following my sabbatical. It served two purposes for me - chipping away at all that accrued leave I had stored up and helping me integrate rest into my working life. It was this that helped most in right-sizing my relationship with peace and productivity.
It’s important to note that there are different types of sabbaticals. The goals I share above won’t fit all sabbaticals. I encourage you to dive into the work of DJ DiDonna, founder of The Sabbatical Project and guest of the We Are For Good Podcast: Episode #337.
DJ and his team research this topic and they have a wealth of resources available, including a quiz to determine your sabbatical style. Try it out if you are scheming your own sabbatical and get a peek into their findings.
I recognize not everyone reading this has the opportunity to take a sabbatical. But I have good news for you. DJ and his team are finding that more companies are leaning into sabbaticals. In fact, mid-career sabbaticals have tripled over the past four years. You can read more about it in this Fast Company article.
The best thing you can do for your organization is show up as a healthy, whole person.
Getting a sabbatical won’t automatically make this a reality, but it can create space for you to pursue peace - whatever that looks like for you.