Everything you need to know to get all the benefits of a sabbatical on a shorter timeline. This is transformational travel at its best for your happiest, healthiest life.
By Kaitlyn Corse
Imagine the most exciting destination possible. Perhaps a favorite place or top bucket list spot. Can you picture it? Good. Now, imagine that YOU are also an equally remarkable destination, worthy of time spent exploring. How great is that?
Imagine waking up in a fluffy, soft bed alone, stretching your arms into the spaciousness around you with delight. There’s not a thing on the agenda today but to be present to you – your breath, body, thoughts, feelings, and desires. You get to follow your urges without considering anyone else and get lost in the enjoyment or reverie of whatever you choose.
This is what a mini-sabbatical offers: space to experience “destination you” and revitalize your life, while traveling to a location you love, too.
I first experienced the allure of the mini-sabbatical six years ago. I hesitated to go, but luckily my coach challenged me to book that ticket! It was one of the most uncomfortable yet rewarding experiences of my life. Without it, I’d still be stuck in my sad, gray corporate cubicle in Seattle. With it, I redesigned a life I adore, running a company and living in sunny Laguna Beach.
I’ve also witnessed the transformative power of mini-sabbaticals in my clients. As an executive well-being coach, I specialize in supporting women to heal from burnout and create lives they love.
Mini-sabbaticals are a great tool for quick resets and clarity on life changes. Every woman deserves to experience one, yet many feel it’s selfish, unnecessary, or difficult. This is why I’m excited to share with you the high value they provide and my top tips for easy execution!
First off, what exactly is a mini-sabbatical?
Let’s start with what a sabbatical is: extended time away from work, usually alone, to take a break and focus on your needs and interests. Compared to vacations (shorter and recreational) and medical leave (for recovery from severe health issues) sabbaticals offer a unique space to reflect, self-nurture, or explore new possibilities. Traditionally, they last 1-12 months and are hard to come by.
Most employers require 5-10 years of service for eligibility and for the self-employed that much time off might be impossible, it’s always worth checking with your employer what their terms are.
Given that sabbaticals are so powerful for well-being and work success, we need a new model to make them more accessible. Cue the mini-sabbatical of 2-3 weeks! It’s long enough to provide more benefits than vacation (time off gains rise steeply after one week), but short enough for feasibility.
And summer is an easy-breezy time; everyone’s on vacation mode, and you’ll be set up for a productive “back to work” fall season. Alternatively, consider fall for travel deals or end of December when most workplaces close.
Why are they so important, particularly for women?
Personally, the mini-sabbatical provides a soul reset to slow down, disconnect from everything, and reconnect to yourself and your desires. Expect healing, clarity or ideas that take your life in a more satisfying direction. You might even reinvent yourself! (That’s what happened to me, hiking endlessly around Capri, receiving epiphanies galore and mapping out the blueprint for my new life.)
Professionally, the mini-sabbatical is a pragmatic tool that reduces stress and burnout, boosts morale, increases retention and engagement, and enhances productivity and creativity. Your cup will be refilled with energy and enthusiasm to carry you for months.
It’s important to retreat from the noise within your “normal” life (e.g. responsibilities, expectations, and opinions of others) so you can listen to your heart and soul and know what to do to author a life you love! This is called self-authority, and it’s easier to bring it into your busy day-to-day life once you’ve practiced it in seclusion.
Women especially need this kind of time off. According to McKinsey’s “Women in the Workplace” report, women carry a higher invisible workload than men, have less leisure time, and suffer higher rates of burnout. To stay healthy and lead our lives well, we need quality alone time that frees us from responsibility. So let’s make this nourishing time off happen for you!
How to pull off a life-changing mini-sabbatical
Consider: What type(s) you need:
- Restorative: You’re stressed out, on the cusp of burnout or have been through a recent life crisis. You need space for mental and physical rest, healing, or processing emotion. You need freedom from burden and responsibility.
- Exploratory: You feel bored, stuck, lost, or on the wrong path and want to imagine new possibilities. You want to soul-search, clarify your calling, or step into a new identity. Consider travel that encourages inner and outer exploration.
- Passion Pursuit: If you want devoted space for a meaningful activity that makes your heart sing and requires deep focus or being at a specific location. Think: learning to surf, writing a book, volunteering, or traveling farther or deeper than vacation allows.
Planning your extended time off
Before you go:
- Set your intention – e.g., I want to prevent burnout and create a healthy routine, give myself a fresh start post-divorce, explore my calling outside my current job, make a big life decision, or experience fun and adventure.
- Choose a place that supports your intention – You don’t have to go far or spend much. I’ve had incredible experiences at local Airbnbs and my clients rave about low-cost monastery retreats. Remember, you and your well-being are the true destination.
- Expect resistance from yourself and others – Notice the fears arising and reasons you think you can’t do this. This is normal when stretching outside your comfort zone. Enlist a coach or friend to support and remind you why this time off matters.
- Communicate it confidently – This is a high-value investment in sustained well-being and performance that will pay dividends for you, your family, and your work.
- Prepare to leave – Request or make arrangements for the time off and do whatever you need to so you can unplug and relax while away.
During your time off:
- Have strong intentions but hold them lightly. Release pressure to get outcomes or answers; trust you’ll get exactly what you need. Resist the urge to do too much; leave room for serendipity and spontaneity.
- Disconnect from the outside world. Challenge yourself to unplug completely. Stay off email, texts, and social media to preserve uninterrupted space for you.
- Connect to your inside world. Keep a journal and walk to spur reflection. Or choose another daily practice that makes you feel calm, receptive and most connected to yourself (e.g. meditate, sing, pray, draw, or dance).
After you return:
- Reflect on your discoveries – And share your experience!
- Implement what you learned – What big changes need to happen? What small practices from your time away could you bring into your daily life?
- Notice the positive impact of your mini-sabbatical – In the days that follow, collect proof that your life is better for it.
What to do if you’re short on time?
Take a micro-sabbatical! Even 2–3 days away in the spirit of sabbatical (i.e. time off devoted to your needs and interests) is better than none. Make the most of short timeframes by getting outside your home and transitioning the week prior. Prepare your mind, body, and spirit. I like to get extra sleep, address mindset blockers with my coach, and use acupuncture to clear negative energy. It’ll connect you with yourself and open you to receive more.
Thinking back, I remember feeling selfish and undeserving of my first mini-sabbatical, but now it’s a tool that I (and my clients) use enthusiastically. I hope my story empowers you to know this kind of travel and time off is much more than a vacation. It’s a high-power leadership move worth investing in.
Like all great travel, mini-sabbaticals can be peak experiences, but even more so because they take you to “destination you.” Enjoy your journey, and please let me know when and where you’re headed, both inward and outward. I’d love to hear from you!
About Me
Hi, I’m Kaitlyn, and I’m an avid traveler, passionate executive coach, and the CEO of Delightful Movement Coaching. Before founding my company, I had a career as a strategic advisor for a big luxury retailer and excelled on challenging growth projects, but severely burned out and lost myself climbing the corporate ladder. Coaching and travel reignited my life, and now I love supporting women leaders to create healthy, whole lives through coaching and transformational travel and retreats. I’m a native New Yorker turned California girl, currently living my best life in Laguna Beach. My other big loves include writing, hiking, visiting French Polynesia and Capri, and exploring all of life with my amazing partner.
You can connect with me via:
Email: kaitlyn@delightfulmovementcoaching.com
Website: www.delightfulmovementcoaching.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaitlynofcorse/
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August 2023 | Life Lovers Magazine.
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