The Power of Time Off - What the Research Says
Taking regular, dedicated time off to reflect on who you have become and who you want to become can pay massive dividends over a lifetime.
Career breaks (or sabbaticals) are an opportunity to do a stocktake followed by a reset of all your intangible assets -many of which are things people on their deathbed, say they regret not focusing on, like spending more time with family and friends or having the courage to live a life true to themselves.
The benefits of taking time out to reset aren't all intangible either. In Stefan Sagmeister's TED talk 'The Power of Time Off,' he discusses the tangible business benefits of shutting down his office for a year:
“Basically everything we've done in the seven years following the first sabbatical came out of thinking of that one single year."
When I think about that for my career and life - taking time to step back and be more deliberate about who I am and who I am becoming - I see it as an investment in myself and the people and things that matter to me. From personal experience (four breaks and counting) and research, I know career breaks can pay dividends in the years that follow, just like Stefan did for his business. I've coined this the 'career break afterburn’.
When done intentionally, there are ways to maximise your break and the career break afterburn to ensure you feel positive effects for years to come.
What the research says
Some fascinating research on non-academic sabbaticals, 'Recover, Explore, Practice: The Transformative Potential of Sabbaticals,' by Kira Schabram, Matt Bloom, and DJ DiDonna, shows sabbaticals typically consist of one or more of the following building blocks:
Recovery: Recover from work and recover what was lost
Exploration: Learn about oneself and the world by going and doing
Practice: Learn or apply skills, apply for work
These building blocks can be part of three distinct types of sabbaticals identified by the researchers: working holidays, free dives, and quests. Each type serves different purposes and leads to different outcomes:
Findings Show:
While rest and recovery are important, the true value of these breaks lies in the profound identity work participants undertake.
It's the periods of exploration and practice that predict the extent to which breaks change our self-narrative and disrupt the trajectory of our working lives.
Depending on the outcomes we seek from our break, it can help to understand the mix of building blocks that will most likely bring these results.
Taking enough time off (at least 6-8 weeks), is critical distinction from taking a holiday.
Sabbaticals are not one-size-fits-all. Experiences and outcomes vary widely depending on the individual's intentions, length and the structure of the sabbatical.
If you could craft your ideal career break, what experiences would you include to achieve your desired outcomes?
Looking for more inspiration on how to shape your career break?
Check out my podcast interview with Digby Scott here.
Keep an eye out for my next few posts, where I'll talk about the outcomes from my two most recent breaks- one a mix of recovery and exploration ('free dive') and the next a mix of all three building blocks ('quest’)
Need more help planning your break? Get in touch for a coaching discovery call.
