Your Sabbatical: A Pipe Dream No Longer?
Sabbaticals have been a bit of a hot topic on BNET lately with a post on this recent TED talk from Stefan Sagmeister explaining his radical approach to work breaks and Sean Silverthorne's musings on how real-life professionals can possibly find the time. Silverthorne questions whether Sagmeister's one-year break every seven years is a realistic model for most professionals and offers a more modest alternative:
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.While Silverthorne's comments are eminently sensible, I wonder if two hours is enough to clear the mind, recharge creativity and generally step outside the whirl of everyday problems. So what can professionals with a desire for a more ambitious break do to make their dreams a reality? A new site called Briefcase to Backpack may be able to help. It offers advice to those craving a travel sabbatical on when, where and how to go, as well as rounding up resources for those returning to their careers after a break. Also, real people who have taken time out share their stories. A sabbatical still won't be easy, but it might be a little more possible.
(Image of lonely beach footprints by Peaches&Cream, CC 2.0)