Well, I am back. It has been a great month of new discoveries and insights. The first day of my sabbatical was tough. Trying to establish new habits and making sure I use my time off wisely was a challenge. However, one thing I failed to prepare for was the difficulty of coming back and maintaining those habits I developed over the last month. I spent so much time creating my sabbatical plan but didn’t spend any time thinking through my post-sabbatical plan.
It is not often that we get to stop and take paid time to refocus on the things that are the most important in our lives. So, when an opportunity like this presents itself, we should take every chance to make sure our time does not go to waste. Whether you have already come back from your sabbatical or are waiting to go, I encourage everyone to prayerfully consider what you want to happen when you return. If you worked to spend quality time with your family, what will you do the rest of the year to maintain sabbatical level quality time? If you spent time volunteering, what other volunteer opportunities can you be a part of? Will you fall into the same pre-sabbatical routine or will you use this month as an opportunity to build habits that will continually refresh and recharge you the rest of the year?
The sabbatical month is fantastic in so many ways. It can also be an excuse if we are not careful. The battle raging in my head goes as follows, “There was extra time in my sabbatical month to involve myself with spiritual things and volunteer opportunities. I won’t be able to continue this when I go back to work.”
This is simply just not the case. It is true that I have less time now but what is stopping me from continuing aspects of what I did during my sabbatical month? Reflecting upon this question, I realized there is really nothing stopping me but my own time-consuming bad habits (social media, Netflix, etc.). Eliminating or extremely reducing a few bad habits has the potential to free up significant amounts of time. I came up with a plan to help me accomplish this.
My post-sabbatical plan is as follows:
- I will attempt to read the whole bible in 90 days which amounts to around 16 chapters a day. I believe this will be the best way to continue the work I did during my sabbatical of maintaining consistent and healthy spiritual habits.
- My wife and I will continue to build relationships with people in our lives by stepping out of our comfort zone to meet new people and spend time with friendships we have neglected over the last year.
- Less screen time. Social media and checking updates became a constant “itch” I had to constantly scratch. It was irritating and I knew it wasn’t helpful but I still had to do it. I have taken some steps at removing these obstacles to spend more quality time with my family.
These are small steps but I believe they will be incredibly helpful in helping me to maintain healthy habits for continual spiritual growth throughout the year. If you do not have a plan for continuing the work you start during your sabbatical, I ask that you would consider taking the time to do so.