Why would we take time off from work for a sabbatical if we didn’t expect it to change our lives in the long run in some way?
We call it “living the lifelong sabbatical” and in our soon-to-be-published book REBOOT YOUR LIFE, we talk about ways we and others have integrated what we learned or did on our time off from work into our everyday lives.
Here are some of the Ten Things You Can Do, discussed in the book, to keep the benefits of your sabbatical part of your everyday life!
- Start journaling every morning to capture your thoughts, dreams and concerns. It helps you observe yourself on that “inner journey”.
- Schedule in every day, every week, every month, time for yourself by putting it in your daytimer or Outlook Calendar just as you would a business or doctor’s appointment.
- Practice saying “no” to things you really don’t want to do. Start by saying “I’ll get back to you” instead of “yes” and then get back the next day with an answer.
- Plan longer weekends and evenings out with friends and family. Consolidate “chores” on another day.
- Plan longer vacations, for at least two weeks, and try to make them “mini-sabbaticals”.
- Pack light, both physically and mentally by doing one thing at a time, carrying less on trips, leaving “baggage” behind.
- Try to do one small thing new, take one small risk, each week. It can be cooking a new food, walking a new way to work, or trying a new sport. Expand your horizons!
You can change your life for the better and sabbaticals provide you the motivation and venue to start making those changes. Then the next step is integrating that learning on-going in your life.
It is a matter of giving yourself the “gift of time”.