Minimal Guide on Sabbatical Projects

A Practical Checklist to Define, Plan and Take a Meaningful Break

What about taking some time off work to focus your attention on quality time for you?

A sabbatical is a dedicated time out of work. It’s a meaningful personal project, yet not necessarily a clear outcome to achieve. This guide provides some key questions to ask yourself in order to know if it’s time to take a break, when and where, and to help clarify your sabbatical project.

When is it Time to Take a Sabbatical? Listening to negative and positive signs

• Are you feeling stuck in your work or life? Experiencing a feeling of stagnation?
• Are you going through a burnout? Experiencing irritability? chronic stress?
• Are you feeling constantly tired and lethargic?
• Are you experiencing a lack of motivation? Do you need a break from work?
• Are you tired of postponing personal projects?
• Do you sense that a change is needed?
• Are you curious about new opportunities, technologies, or experiences?
• Do you feel the desire for a shift at work or a fresh start in life?
• Are you looking to better learn from deliberate practice or by immersion?
• Are you anticipating a personal or professional transition?
• What motivates you? What are you curious about?
• What don’t you want to postpone again?

Why Take a Sabbatical? Clarifying Your Intentions

• Is this for self-development, learning or introspection?
• What do you want to experience?
• Are you motivated by developing a personal project?
• Do you want to travel or to live abroad?
• Do you simply need rest or recovery?
• Is it about escaping your work, current routine or situation?
• Are you ok with downsizing your current lifestyle during this break?

Going into more details, What are you looking to experience, explore and experiment?

• What are some skills that you want to develop?
• Are you planning to complete a project? What’s your definition of Project Done?
• Do you want to focus on creative work or wellness activities?
• Are you looking to get out of your comfort zone? And take on some challenges?
• Are you looking for an Adventure? Do you simply want to travel?
• Are you looking for smart learning in full immersion? Like living in Spain for three months to really boost your Spanish practice.
• Are you looking for deliberate practice in the right environment? Like a Muay Thai Training camp in Thailand vs training in Thai boxing three times a week at your local gym.
• Are you into experiencing a period of “Monk Life”? a simple life focused around deep work and meaningful activities, and finally experience daily meditation or any mindful practice.
• Do you simply need quality time to reset and relax?
• Are you looking for a solo project, introspective work and time for self-reflection?
• Are you looking for shared experiences and connections?
• Are you going alone, with a partner, a small group of friends or looking to meet new people during a retreat?

Try to write down as specifically as possible: What do you want to experience? Where and When, and for How Long?

Budget and Resources: evaluating the Time, Finance and Logistical needs:

Time and Money Budget:

• What sabbatical duration can you afford? a week, 6 weeks, 3 months…
• How much savings can you allocate to this sabbatical?
• How to evaluate your monthly spending in the chosen location?
• How to wisely manage your monthly burning rate and control your spending?
• What’s your overall Sabbatical Budget?
• Can this project break even or do you have to finance it?
• Can you finance the sabbatical through side projects, sponsors or grants?

Logistics:

• What administrative or legal tasks need to be taken care of (visa, permits, etc.)?
• Will you need to study or plan for the destination (if traveling)?
• What are your criterias to select the right place to stay?
• How are you going to find a place to stay?
• What are your housing and transportation budgets?
• How are you planning to move around and travel?
• Do you need some specific equipment or gear? Do you have to buy it once at your destination or do you have to buy it before your departure?

Three-Phase Planning: clarify what needs to be done Before, During and After your Sabbatical

Preparation Phase: draft a clear project plan

Clarify the scope of your Sabbatical with 6 key questions:

What? Why? When and How Long? Where? Who? How-To?

Go into further details:

• How much time do you need to plan and prepare? What is the retro-planning and scheduling for the sabbatical?
• Can you simulate the sabbatical experience (weekend or retreat)?
• What resources do you need to gather?
• Do you plan to travel light? What are your essentials?
• Do you need a specific bank account? Debit card? Insurance? Health coverage?
• How will you adapt to unexpected situations or opportunities during the sabbatical?
• What administrative tasks (e.g., paperwork) need attention before you go?

Beginning of your Sabbatical: Arrival, Settling-in And Adaptation

• What are important steps upon arrival?
• What are the critical tasks to settle-in?
• How long are you planning for acclimatization and adaptation?
• Before starting your project, how long do you plan to explore and experiment?

Feeling lost — not just in translation — and overwhelmed at the beginning of your sabbatical is completely normal. It’s a good sign, meaning that you are now out of your comfort zone, you should slow down, listen and observe, … your learning journey is officially starting.

A sabbatical is an opportunity to experience living in the present. Don’t try to anticipate much. Each day is a life. Make sure that you have a morning routine that anchors you in the moment.

During your Sabbatical, structure Your Time: Typical Week and Day:

• What is going to be your morning routine? to get ready for action
• Each day, make sure to ask yourself: What do I work-on Today?
• What are the key activities and habits to support your sabbatical project?
• What key activities or work sessions do you want to schedule each week?
• How will you balance deep work, creative pursuits, and wellness activities?
• What physical activities, exploration, or rest will you plan to avoid burnout?
• What time will you allocate for self-care and reflection?
• How will you incorporate weekly reviews to track progress?
• Are you ok with adjusting your action plan based on your weekly evaluation?
• How will you track your expenses? your cash flow? Are you planning to keep a monthly Profit and Loss Statement?
• At what frequency will you document your sabbatical journey? In what formats (audio, notes, drawings…)? How are you planning to share your journey?

Before your Departure: What are the re-entry steps and administrative tasks for your return? Plan for a smooth return, including an adaptation week back home.

Post-Sabbatical, Comeback and Reflection Post-Sabbatical:

• Are you planning to do a “post-Mortem” of your sabbatical? A global review?
• How will you reflect on your experience and integrate any insights into your life?
• How are you going to consolidate the documentation of your journey?
• How are you going to share your journey and sabbatical project?
• Are you planning to get back to the same work and life? or looking for change?
• What steps will you take to ease the transition back to work or regular routines?

Who Am I?

My name is Christophe Berg. I have about 30 years of work experience as a Project Manager and Consultant and a Master of Science degree in Project Management. I am sharing ideas, tools and methods to apply Project Management principles and Agile Mindset into personal projects, experiments and adventures.

I do believe that “Everyday Heroes Deserve a Personal Project Planner”. Since not everyone can afford a Project Planner / Personal Coach, I write articles so people can learn these principles by themselves.

Further reading on Sabbatical Projects, “How to deal with a Forced Sabbatical?”

Catch Me if you can: kristofberg.com/about-me