Last Updated on July 10, 2026 by Bethany Wilinski
How do i make a sabbatical at home feel like a sabbatical?
Most of my clients are planning sabbaticals at home, or stay-batticals, and this is a question I get all the time. These clients are excited about sabbatical, but worried that because they are not going away, it will feel just like normal life, minus the teaching and service responsibilities. I had the same concern about the second half of my sabbatical, which I spent at home (We spent the first semester in France).
One of the best things about a sabbatical is that it provides an opportunity to step out of our typical rhythms and routines and create new ones. The new rhythms we yearn for are often ones that reflect more spaciousness in our schedule, a relaxed pace, and time for reengaging with hobbies or activities that support our physical and mental health.
Ensuring sabbatical feels different is harder when you stay home (but it’s not impossible!)
If you spend your sabbatical away from home, you will likely fall into new rhythms and routines naturally; living in a new place demands it. However, it can be harder to intentionally create new rhythms for your day and week if you don’t change your physical location during sabbatical. The muscle memory for the way we function most of the time is too strong, and it can be easy to spend a sabbatical doing most of the same things you normally do.
I’m convinced of the importance of cultivating new rhythms during a stay-battical because I have experience with this. I spent the first semester of my sabbatical in France, and I had no problem slipping into a completely different rhythm. Some of the elements were the same—taking the kids to school and grocery shopping, for example—but I had far more spaciousness in my day, and a desire to explore our new city. It was easy to go for long walks, dedicate time to training for a half marathon, and spend time with new friends, in large part because I was in a new place and experiencing new things all the time.
Toward the end of this time away, I began to worry about the second half of my sabbatical, which I spent at home in Michigan. I worried that in my disappointment about leaving France, combined with a return home during the coldest and darkest time of the year, would mean that I’d just spend my days working away in my home office in the basement. I wondered how I could replicate some of the energy of exploration and the sense of newness that I felt in France during the at home part of my sabbatical.
How to make a stay-battical feel different from a regular semester
Ensuring your sabbatical feels different and provides you with the reset you desire requires some reflection and intentionality. In my sabbatical coaching program, I guide my clients to envision what they want an ideal day on sabbatical to look like, and to create new daily and weekly routines that align with that vision and their sabbatical priorities.
The way I made the at-home portion of my sabbatical feel different from a regular semester was to prioritize learning something new (I took a pottery class – see photo above!), working only three days per week (and only checking email those days), and training for a half marathon (an overarching personal goal for sabbatical was to get back into running). Building my daily rhythms around these priorities helped to ensure I didn’t default to spending my sabbatical working 8-hour days, which was not what I wanted or needed.
Reflection prompts to help you plan your sabbatical rhythms with intention:
If you’re currently caught up in the rush of the semester, it can be really hard to envision what sabbatical can look and feel like. If you can, set aside 30 minutes to think about these questions and jot down your responses. I guarantee you’ll generate new ideas and insights into what you want for your sabbatical!
How do you want to feel at the end of your sabbatical? What could you do on a daily or weekly basis that would help you achieve that?
Many of my clients want to feel rested and clear about where they are going in their career after their sabbatical. To achieve this, they build in time for relaxing morning routines (e.g. enjoying a cup of coffee by the fireplace after dropping the kids off at school and before starting a daily writing practice), commit to regular self-care routines, and create boundaries around work time (e.g. write for 2-3 hours each morning and then take the afternoon off) and work email.
What are the things you like to do that usually get pushed to the margins (or abandoned) during the academic year?
Perhaps it’s making time for a hobby or interest, spending more intentional time with friends and family, travel, or cooking. Sabbatical is such a unique opportunity to devote more time to the things you love, but that opportunity can slip away easily if you don’t plan with intention.
What do you want a typical day on sabbatical to look like?
I have my clients map out what they think they’ll want to do in the morning, afternoon, and evening while on sabbatical. They create a menu of options to choose from when they’re planning their week during sabbatical. This exercise can help you gain clarity about how you want to spend your time during sabbatical, and it gives you a clear roadmap to ensure you’re creating the rhythms and routines that you want and need.
Your stay-battical can be truly transformative
A sabbatical at home can be just as transformative as a sabbatical away, but it requires a different approach to planning. I hope you’ll think about how you can create rhythms that help to foster the break you need during sabbatical. Check out this episode of Sabbatical 101 for more tips and inspiration!