This week I am on sabbatical, spending the week focusing on resting and preparing for the six weeks to follow. I take every seventh week off in order to recover and prepare for the next six weeks. Over sabbatical weeks, I use the time to find the inspiring ideas, tackle projects, or to simply enjoy films and documentaries. The only rule, as Sean reminds us, is not to schedule anything for the sabbatical. Admittedly, this rule has become much easier to implement now that we aren’t traveling or meeting up with anyone at coffee shops.
This is my fourth sabbatical week since the United States went into lockdown in March, exactly five months ago. I’ve learned a bit about what resting looks like when you have no other option but to stay home. Today, I’m sharing my takeaways.
Discover which activities build energy and which consume energy.
Throughout history, remarkable people have maintained active hobbies. Winston Churchill painted landscapes and laid bricks. In his spare time, Theodore Roosevelt withdrew to the wilderness, studied wildlife and worked to conserve North American lands and animals. J.J.R. Tolkien created languages and wrote The Lord of the Rings as a hobby. It seems keeping an active mind and body charges our energy, rather than depleting it. I’ve found this to be the case for me as well. Making sure to get outside daily, keeping a regular exercise schedule, and writing every morning actually give me more energy; they don’t deplete it. Beyond these activities, studying and note-taking are sources of energy for me, too. Thinking through an author’s conclusions and the implications of a position wake up the brain. Most often I find myself excited about possibilities after studying, rather than struggling to stay awake. Figuring out what energizes me allows me to create a schedule which enriches me even in my down time.
Going into a sabbatical week with a list of potential projects is how I ensure I get the most out of the week.
My most enjoyable sabbaticals happen when I make a list of articles, movies, courses, or books to explore. I also often call family and friends during the week on sabbatical. I don’t make a schedule, as mentioned before, but I do like going into a sabbatical week with an idea of how I want to spend that time. I look over the ideas and courses I’ve come across in the previous few weeks and keep a running list of resources to explore. Having a reminder of all my options means I find an enjoyable way to intentionally spend my time, rather than staring at the ceiling or a screen trying to find something interesting to do.
The importance of keeping a consistent schedule.
It has been so common over the last five months to struggle with keeping a reasonable sleep schedule, for many reasons. I’ve found it helpful to stick to going to bed and getting up at the same time every day. I also keep the same morning journaling time and my forty minute writing session at the top of the morning the same, regardless of the day or week. Not only does this make it easier to get up on time every day, it also helps you to have a structure to your day. By keeping the staples of my routine the same, I just switch out my normal writing time for “recovery” time on sabbatical. I normally draft and edit for two hours, one session in the morning and another in the afternoon. Instead of using those blocks for writing, I do whatever sabbatical project or learning during that time. I may also switch up my reading or exercise times as well, as I’ve found the occasional morning exercise session to be a great change to my normal routine. This helps me to use the time, and not just pass the time.
Sometimes work is the most relaxing or satisfying thing to do on sabbatical.
Especially when I am particularly inspired by an idea or person, writing and researching more on the topic, creating a post is exactly what I want to do. After all, I love writing. There is no rule against working on sabbatical, only not scheduling work for the sabbatical. If I want to write, I keep writing. If I want to watch a film or documentary, that’s what I do.
Separate the urgent from the most valuable tasks.
Just because something carries an urgency with it doesn’t mean it’s what needs your attention. Some emails simply aren’t worth responding to, and not all opportunities are equal. Occasionally, stepping away from a piece and returning to it with fresh eyes is the best way to work through rough patches. Through this process I am developing the ability to think through my long-term goals, instead of jumping from deadline to deadline. It’s the difference between creating a system and just bouncing from task to task. Taking a recurring week to refocus is a way to make sure my current goals and projects align with the future I want to build. I don’t want to complete projects for the sake doing them.
I explain the sabbatical, which was first created by Sean McCabe, in depth here. My previous sabbatical dispatches are here.
Using all of these lessons, I make sure I am getting the most out of that recurring week of rest and recovery.
