From Carol:

For the past month I have been focused on distributing, packing up, and disposing of the contents of my mother's condo.  On March 20th  I will close the door and walk away from her home.  This was a place she spent her final ten, very happy years.  Each box has been a meditation and a letting her go.  Without this sabbatical it would be a stressful 'job' I have to accomplish by a deadline.  The sabbatical has given me time - time to watch my process, time to consider the artifacts of her life, time to say yes or no to what is kept and what is to be moved on, and time to grieve the loss of my mother.   

There have been moments of overwhelm.  Overwhelm when I am trying to "get it done" all at once. I can make bad decisions under that cloud.  With a breath - with a pause - with a moment to shift - I can let in that I have time, enough time.  I am on sabbatical. In my Italian heritage black was worn for one year after the death of a parent, spouse, a loved one.  This tradition was respected in the community and gave the person sacred space to grieve and be acknowledged.   March 19th my daughter and niece (my mother's only grandchildren) and I will gather in her home for the last time.  My sabbatical has just begun...... 

From Deb:   

My to-do list is in neon outlining what must be accomplished before my vacation in less than two weeks. So the decision to take two precious hours to read and reflect on a time management article was predicated on the knowledge that it was an excellent article. Thankfully, reading "Managing Your Time as a Leader"  will serve me well during this potentially stressful pre-vacation period.

 

Nugget #1: Under stress, research shows that we make poorer decisions. I have decisions pending that I need to say no to. It takes a certain fortitude and clarity of purpose to say no. A voice whispers, "Who cares if I am crispy around the edges when I get on the plane to New Mexico?" Answer: I do. I want to experience my full self on vacation, not just a shell that slowly returns to life.

 

Nugget #2: Ask, "What am I avoiding?" Is it a task I dislike or a commitment I am procrastinating on? I commit to regularly making a list of what I am avoiding and then deciding how to tend it in order to reduce time-eating fall-out.

 

Nugget #3: "Our experience of vitality is our key 'time management' resource" and "Energy not time is the most important resource." Self-care is never on my to-do list, but my aim is to make it the lens through which I make every decision. This is a discipline that is challenging, but essential to the quality of life to which I aspire.

 

Here's to your sense of vitality!

Considering a Sabbatical? Want support in framing it? Questions?  Send us an e-mail 

Rest, Renewal, and Rejuvenation: Outcomes of a Compensated Sabbatical Experience among Senior Staff Employed by Nonprofit Organizations in Los Angeles County

By Ronald A. Stewart, PhD

 Click here for a link to the Durfee Foundation sabbatical program description.  

This study measured the impact of a compensated sabbatical experience on the professional and personal lives of 25 executives of non-profit organizations who are alumni of the Durfee Sabbatical Program.

Within academic and religious institutions, where Sabbaticals are a norm, a priority is typically placed on the participants' tangible outcomes (e.g. newly organized hymnals or new research for future publication). Durfee places no such expectations on its participants to produce tangible products as an outcome of their sabbatical. In fact, Durfee strongly discourages participants from engaging in professional development opportunities such as conferences and work related seminars, or even contacting their organizations, during the sabbatical period,in the belief that rest and renewal are critically needed to counter professional burn-out in the field of nonprofit service delivery.

This study suggests that nonprofit leaders who engaged in a compensated sabbatical did spend their time focusing on personal renewal and rejuvenation, but also spent time immersed in thought regarding their own professional development, the development of their organization, and the development of their employees. From an organizational development standpoint this is a win-win situation for both the leader and the nonprofit organization.

Furthermore, this study offers no support for a doomsday scenario - one that may suggest an extended absence by the leader will throw the organization in to chaos or financial hardship. This study suggests that most leaders returned from sabbatical feeling refreshed and with a renewed passion for their work and for the mission of their organization. Leaders aggressively translated this renewed commitment to their work into action by retooling their skill sets and reorganizing the way they carried out their job functions. Most leaders went on to report better work/life balances, healthier minds and bodies, and a stronger appreciation for the need for employees of nonprofit organizations to take a break from work and engage in sabbatical without the fear of losing income or losing their job.