Char-Lynn Griffiths has over 13 years of experience in Design and Market Research. She loves bringing to life data and insights with captivating visuals and storytelling.
Credit: Illustration by Char-Lynn Griffith
I am lucky. I work for a company that lets its employees have a month-long sabbatical every five years. My leave was set to hit in August 2020, at the height of the Pandemic, and because I had all these dreams of world travel, I decided to delay it until it was safe to go on an exotic vacation.
After two years of lockdowns and uncertainty, I felt suffocated, overwhelmed by parenthood, work, and living in the world.
So, I decided to take my sabbatical with no grand vacation plans in sight. I promised myself to disconnect from the world for a month, and I learned a few critical lessons about life during that time.
Three valuable lessons I learned on sabbatical
Your career will never be enough.
Your career is not your life. It’s just a part of it. While having a career is important, it’s not the only thing that matters. For much of my life, I’ve defined my success as a human being by how well I felt I was doing in my career. As a first-generation college graduate, I had always felt this pressure to “make it” because of my family's sacrifices to get me through college.
Being in the creative field has also means that my identity is closely tied to my work. The vulnerability of being artistic makes what I do feel very personal. When the pandemic struck, and I had to constantly face the fragility of life, I began to question if all the hours I poured into my work were “worth it.”
During my sabbatical, I watched a lot of TV and listened to many podcasts. Coincidentally, I kept hearing the same story from highly successful people that had been echoing in my mind.
WORK WILL NEVER BE FULFILLING ENOUGH
No matter how successful you become or how much you enjoy your work, it will never be enough. As Viola Davis put it in her Oprah interview on Netflix,
{I had} the feeling that once I hit it and once I got on top, that somehow my life was going to open up. Suddenly, it would be some sort of feeling where I have arrived…and that didn't happen. What happened was excitement at first and then the feeling of exhaustion…[and] people feeling like I was a commodity.
We spend a lot of time at work; therefore, it's natural for us to hope that our professions will meet all of our objectives and aspirations- but the fact is that your job will never be able to fully substitute for other aspects of your life. And we'd all be better off if we worked on different aspects of our lives with equal energy and enthusiasm. Think how much better our relationships could be or how many hobbies we could try out. I am personally making my "after 5" goals as important as my career aspirations from now on.
Spending more time in nature is transformative.
Feeling the warm sunshine on my skin, hearing the breeze blow through the leaves, and watching the clouds float in the sky were some of the little things I experienced on my sabbatical. I scheduled many walks with friends in my time off. The great conversation and the warm Georgia spring air drastically transformed my mood.
During the typical work week, I barely go outside. Yet, there are several advantages to spending time in nature. It may help you relax and de-stress. It can also stimulate your creative side. If you're looking for new pastimes, answers to complex questions, or just a moment of joy, go outside!
Leave your phone at home, sit on a park bench, and people-watch. Or take a leisurely stroll around your neighborhood. If you give yourself regular mental vacations throughout your work day, you'll be more productive when you return.
Disconnecting from the digital world was incredibly liberating.
I had no idea how much time I spent on my phone until I made myself take a break. It was incredible how much more time I had! I also felt less anxious and stressed since I wasn't seeing other people's highlight reels all the time. I was truly present for the first time in a long time, and I realized that I had been missing out on so much.
I encourage you to try disconnecting from your devices and social media for a day, a week, or even a month! It's not as complicated as it seems, and you might be surprised at how much more you can enjoy the present moment.
Work/life balance should be praised and normalized.
The pandemic has transformed the way that people work. Being remote can be great, especially for a working mom like myself, but it also means that our work/life balance is more out of whack than ever. And for many people, this is not a sustainable way to live.
I used to brag about how I never missed a day of work and how I could operate at any time. But I didn't realize that this way of life wasn't sustainable and harmed my mental and physical health.
Having a month off with nothing to do showed me how critical Paid Time Off (PTO) is. Now, I'm a big advocate for using my time off, and I make sure to schedule regular vacations- even if it's just a staycation. I also try to disconnect from work as much as possible when I'm not working so that I can focus on other aspects of my life. Mute those slack messages, disconnect your email from your personal phone- take active steps to create balance.
I don't take my PTO lightly, and I believe it's something all working Americans should have. I also think that companies who provide this advantage should make it a priority. Many jobs offer unlimited PTO, but employees never take time off because they don't want to fall behind or get passed up for that promotion. We have to break this cycle and normalize taking time for ourselves.
Your career is not the only important thing in your life, and it's important to remember that. So many other aspects of our lives deserve attention, and we should make sure to dedicate our energy and focus to them as well. Reconnect with nature, spend time with loved ones, take a break, and watch bad TV. Life should be a playground. I'm so grateful I had a month off to think about this profoundly and to put work back in the box that it deserves. Now, I'm off to play outside. Want to join me?
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