How can you use a sabbatical to improve work-life balance?

I initially took a sabbatical to reassess my career after many years in a corporate environment. While I loved the work, the nature of my role had me "looking over my shoulder" a bit too often. An opportunity to travel for an extended period with few cares or concerns was initially seen as an opportunity to recharge. Only - it had a unexpected result, I retired from the corporate world within a week after returning to the office. The freedom presented during my time away showed me that perhaps I should be focusing on the "width of life, not only the length". And after 5 years of retirement, taking on fulfilling opportunities well away from my past roles, my life span has surely been lengthened and my sense of purpose remains.

Taking a sabbatical break can prove to be a healthy way of recharging your energy levels and re-evaluating your professional goals. However, some people tend to feel guilty and worried about taking a sabbatical, which can create more stress and defeat the purpose of it. I used to make this mistake. With time, I have learned to appreciate the present moment and enjoy nature during my short sabbaticals. Learning to give ourselves some private space can help us lead a less stressful and more enjoyable life amidst the chaos of hectic living. #self-care

For a sabbatical to be meaningful it needs to go beyond a simple extended leave taken with or without pay. The timing and duration are critical elements to decide on once you have your goal for the sabbatical defined. Too short and you may come out of it with low sense of achievement and too long may make you procrastinate. Hence plan the duration well with milestones built in during the entire length.

You need to have peace of mind during the sabbatical period for you to achieve what you set out to do. Also the tools that will enable you to work on during this period. Most important of all for these two to happen will be financial planning well in advance so that you do not loose steam in between due to any emergency as that may derail the entire exercise.

Like for any project, the outcome needs to be studied and evaluated against the set goals and expectations. Do not be harsh on yourself if it is the first time for you but build on the small wins that come out of this experience. The idea is to see the needle move in the direction it was intended to when you started the journey. Share the outcomes with people you are close with and trust for them to provide positive and constructive feedback which will motivate you further.