You Need a Creative Sabbatical -- But How?

You've probably read that Bill Gates takes an annual sabbatical so he can think about the future, catch up on important reading, and return to work energized for another year.

And you've probably thought, as did I, it sure is nice to be one of the world's richest people who control their own schedules. I got the same feeling reading Gina Trapani's post on Harvard Business Publishing about designer Stefan Sagmeister, who every seven years shuts down his studio for a year of "creative rejuvenation."

But this is just a fantasy for most of us. How do we accomplish this same goal of taking time off, or reallocating work time, for a battery recharge? Time we can use for raising our heads above the administrivia? Yes, vacations help, but these are often taken with family. It's tough to be meditative riding the spinning teacups at Disney World.

My solution has been to schedule my own private sabbatical at work -- a two-hour block once a month -- that I devote to thinking about the big picture, thinking creatively for the longer term, or just wrestling with a messy problem. Because I need structure, I write an agenda, so that I'm prepared to use this outing to maximum effect.

My agenda might be as simple as this:

1. Compile reading list on how small organizations (under 10 employees) do three- or five-year planning. Why is our current process ineffective?
2. Would visualization tools be an effective feature to help our customers draw correlations and connections between various content "buckets" on our site?
3. Jim is struggling with a demanding client. Is the issue that Jim doesn't have the tools to set expectations and negotiate outcomes with this person, or is the problem a client who doesn't understand the issue of project scope?

I understand for many even a monthly time out is a luxury not afforded you. (In fact, as my task list has become more crowded over the last year, this time has become less and less sacred.)

So what's your answer? Please share how you manage to get yourself unrestricted time to, as the famous sign at IBM says, THINK.

I'll return with a post on your best suggestions.

(Thinker image by Robin Inh00d, CC 2.0)