The Sabbatical
Planning Pathway
A self-guided sabbatical planning course designed to help you prepare thoughtfully for time away—while leaving room for what it might become.
Planning With Intention
Deciding to take time away is one thing. Figuring out what you want from that time, and what needs to happen to make it possible, is another.
The Sabbatical Planning Pathway gives you a thoughtful framework for working through those decisions.
The questions worth asking.
You don’t need to have all the answers before you step away. Thoughtful planning starts with asking the right questions.
What do I want to make space for?
What budget do I want to set for my time away?
How much time away makes sense for me?
What would spending that time on my own feel like?
How much do I want to plan—and how much do I want to leave open?
What do I want to return to—and how do I want to return?
Ways to Take Time Away
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Travel Solo
Spend weeks or months somewhere new, with the freedom to shape your days around what you want to experience, explore, or simply enjoy.
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Stay Closer to Home
Create meaningful time away without going far—making room for your wellbeing, relationships, creativity, reflection, or simply a different rhythm.
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Take a Shorter Amount of Time
A longer career break may not fit your life right now. Intentional time away can still be meaningful when you have days or weeks rather than months.
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Start Planning for Someday
You may know you want a career break without knowing when it will happen. The Pathway can help you begin thinking through the decisions and practical considerations now.
Your time away can take many forms. Whether you imagine it as a career break, sabbatical, or adult gap year, the Pathway gives you a structure you can adapt to your circumstances, priorities, and plans.
Plan what needs planning.
Leave room for what doesn’t.
Too little preparation can make time away stressful.
Too much structure can make it feel like another project to manage.
The Pathway is designed to give you enough structure to prepare thoughtfully, without planning every part of the experience.
Prepare for the realities of stepping away while creating space for your wellbeing, reflection, curiosity, and whatever else your time becomes.
Inside the Pathway
A framework you can make your own.
The Pathway offers structure while leaving the decisions about your time away to you.
What it is
✓ Self-guided and flexible
✓ Reflective and practical
✓ Designed for before, during, and after your time away
What it isn’t
✗ A prescribed itinerary
✗ Travel booking or destination planning
✗ A custom sabbatical plan
✗ A predetermined outcome
✗ Coaching or therapy
What You’ll Explore
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Releasing the Expectations
Examine the expectations you may be bringing into your sabbatical, including pressure to be productive, make the most of it, or arrive at a particular outcome. Make room for the experience to evolve in ways you may not be able to anticipate.
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What is Possible
Explore the shape, timing and length of your time away. Consider a full sabbatical, extended leave, shorter break or another form of intentional space that reflects your current circumstances.
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Your Life As it is Now
Take an honest look at the areas of your life that feel nourishing, demanding, unfinished or ready to change. Reconnect with your values and identify what deserves more attention.
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Financial & Practical Planning
Think through budgeting, income, benefits, housing, travel, caregiving and other logistical decisions. Identify the information you need and the steps that could make time away more possible.
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Boundaries That Protect the Experience
Consider how you will communicate your plans, respond to expectations and protect your time from becoming filled with obligations, productivity goals or other people’s priorities.
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Shaping Your Time Away
Explore how much structure you want, what you want to make room for, and what you’d prefer to leave open as your sabbatical unfolds.
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Returning with Intention
Prepare for the emotional and practical experience of returning. Consider what you want to carry forward, what you may want to change and how to protect the clarity you gained.
What You Can Leave With
By the end of the Pathway, you can have:
A clearer understanding of why you want time away.
A vision for the type of sabbatical or break that fits your life.
A practical list of decisions, questions and next steps.
Greater clarity around timing, finances, logistics and boundaries.
A flexible framework for how you want to use your time.
A thoughtful approach to re-entry and what comes next.
The purpose is not to plan a perfect sabbatical. It is to help you create space, understand your options and move forward with greater intention.
FAQs
A Few Things You May Be Wondering
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The Sabbatical Planning Pathway is a self-guided experience. You can work through the material privately and at your own pace.
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No. You can begin before you have dates or formal approval. Part of the process is identifying what is possible and what decisions need to be made.
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Yes. The Pathway can help you clarify your intentions, prepare for practical decisions, establish boundaries and consider how you want to approach both your time away and your eventual return.
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You do not need to have the financial details resolved before beginning the course. The Pathway helps you explore budgeting, timing and practical considerations so you can better understand your options. It does not provide individualized financial advice.
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No. Your time away can involve travel, staying close to home or a combination of both. The focus is on creating an experience that reflects what you need and what is possible for you.
Ready to Create Some Space?
Start planning your time away on your own terms.