To be given a year, or even a semester, away from my job is an insanely generous idea. Before I go much further in this blog, I will stop to acknowledge the privilege that I have in getting to take a (half-)paid break from my academic obligations to pursue what I need.
For now I’m still in what I dubbed “The Waiting Year” in a recent LinkedIn post. My sabbatical application is still moving through the many layers of university approval. Therefore, I feel a bit like I’m writing on eggshells of borrowed time right now. Once approved (🤞) I will gladly share what I proposed in my application. But for now…
Boundaries
Over the last month, I devoured most of the two-year backlog episodes of Bethany Wilinsky’s podcast about sabbatical planning and stories. I heard many interviewees share common sentiments. These are the ideas I’m taking to heart:
Take time for recovery, prioritize well-being
Don’t make sabbatical look like just another semester of work
Find creativity and inspiration in unconventional (non-academic) activities
And a constant theme: Set boundaries. Sabbatical is a time for your needs, not the institution’s needs. Episode 24 offers a great guide on how to do this. Just listen; it’s only 12 minutes long.
Expectations
The other morning I also completed Dr. Wilinsky’s sabbatical toolkit, which I found quite useful. As she recommends, I printed it out (old school!), sat on my couch, with my coffee and a “spa” music playlist, and filled it out by hand (ouch 😅). In it, you release a lot of “shoulds,” assess the reality of your workdays, identify what’s missing from your work/life, and define how you’ll know if your sabbatical was successful. For me:
I will know my sabbatical was a success because… I will have been out in the world again, and ready to bring it back into my work.
So now, to figure out what the heck that means and how to get there. Stay tuned!
Image: Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, from my recent trip to Cape Town, South Africa for the 2026 International Communication Association conference.
My posts are never written with AI. I love writing, and I always want my writing to flow from my own brain, even (especially) with all its human imperfections.
