4 lessons from my sabbatical

Just a little over a year ago, I started a sabbatical. As I prepare to return to work, I wanted to share some of the lessons I learned during this important period in my life.

Take care of yourself

As 2021 started, my boss didn’t hesitate when I asked him for mental health time off. I was burned out from a year of lockdown; an insane presidential campaign; the painful layoff of 40% of my colleagues at Tidepool; and challenges I was experiencing on the home front.

I drove from Northern California to Bellingham, WA. I stayed in a peaceful cabin by Lake Whatcom, for what I called my “Luke Skywalker runs into Darth Vader in the cave-meets-Superman goes to the Fortress of Solitude” time. For six weeks I dialed up therapy to three times per week and started my process of healing. By the end of my time in Bellingham, I decided to stop working and start my sabbatical. I realize this was an immense privilege. 

Have structure, but not too much

I used to write naively back when I was in high school and college. I wanted to rediscover poetry and become a better writer. I started meeting weekly with a Literary Coach, my friend Jose Antonio Parra. Beyond those sessions, I scheduled daily time to complete the writing exercises and to read. The rest of my days I fitted around those activities.

What started like something therapeutical became something I grew to love so much that I will be publishing my first book of poems (in Spanish) in 2022. Also, I ended up 2021 having read more than 80 books. Even though I am not becoming a full-time writer, today I know I want to write (and read) the rest of my life.

Take naps

People in Spanish-speaking world know it: they call it siesta. I knew it, but I had forgotten about it. Naps help! I won’t go into a scientific diatribe. Napping every day as the energy dwindled became one of the most revitalizing rituals I adopted. And I plan to keep doing it. That’s why a flexible workplace was important to me as I began searching for my next professional stop.

Plan your return

I had decided that I’d be taking off through mid-2022 at most. In late February 2022 I started my search for opportunities with a post on LinkedIn. I dove into the process open to two possible paths: having a consulting practice with no more than 3-4 clients that I could embed myself into; or finding a place that I believed in strongly, to become a full-time employee there.

During the next few weeks, I spoke with about 30 people. Some were an excellent source of ideas, others expressed an interest in consulting help, and a handful evolved into potential full-time opportunities. As I write this, I have just accepted an offer to join one of those places full-time starting April 30, and I will consult with a couple of clients on a limited basis.

If you have any questions about my sabbatical or have lessons learned from your own experience, please share them in the comments section.