Last Updated on August 18, 2026 by Bethany Wilinski
After helping dozens of academics plan their sabbaticals (and having talked to dozens more about their sabbatical planning challenges), I’ve noticed the same questions and concerns emerge time and again. These questions come up regardless of institution type, field of study, or career stage. If any of them resonate with you, I guarantee you’re not alone.
Here are the five most common questions I hear from sabbatical-goers, along with concrete solutions.
“How do I make the most of my sabbatical?”
This is probably the most common question I hear. Most academics are incredibly excited about their sabbatical and aware that it’s a real privilege. Even so, figuring out what to actually do during a sabbatical can be overwhelming. So many of my clients come to me because they worry they might waste this opportunity. This is usually because they’re burned out and exhausted, which makes imagining possibilities for a sabbatical difficult.
The solution: Start with your sabbatical purpose. Rather than trying to get everything done, identify your top priorities for your sabbatical (approx 3-5). These priorities can be a mix of personal and professional pursuits (see #4). You might prioritize things like: writing a book proposal, reading and generating ideas in a new area of research, learning something new (related or unrelated to your research), revising course curricula, or finally letting yourself rest. Once you’ve clarified your priorities, you can make intentional decisions about how to spend your time.
Consider creating a “sabbatical vision statement”—a single paragraph describing how you want to feel during sabbatical (your sabbatical vibe) and how you’ll know your sabbatical was a success. Then, use that vision statement to guide you as you further refine your sabbatical plan. Having a sabbatical vision and using it as a guide helps ensure you don’t say yes to every opportunity that comes up, which will distract you from focusing on your sabbatical priorities. Keep in mind that making the most of your sabbatical might mean doing a lot less than you think you should, which may feel uncomfortable, but will ultimately help you accomplish more during your sabbatical. For more about doing less, check out this blog post.
“How do I create structure during a completely unstructured time?”
In a regular academic year there’s built in accountability that creates some structure—deadlines, class schedules, meetings that create a framework and rhythm. Although many of us crave blank space on the calendar, it can be overwhelming to envision a semester or year with no apparent structure. While some people thrive with this openness, others need to create routines that help them stay aligned with their sabbatical priorities. There are multiple ways to create structure, and the structure you create will depend on your needs and preferences, and your sabbatical priorities.
The solution: For most sabbatical-goers, a flexible framework is the best approach. Personally, I didn’t want my days on sabbatical to feel the same as a regular semester, minus teaching and service. I wanted a distinctly different rhythm, and that desire guided my planning.
How do you create a flexible framework? You might establish anchor points in your week: writing mornings, research afternoons, or specific days for different projects. Another approach is to work on scholarship only in the morning and spend the afternoon on personal pursuits, or vice versa. Some of my clients use the Post-it Method, which I describe in greater detail in this blog post, to create a set of options to choose from based on their mood and goals for the day. Others use the “theme day” method, where each day of the week has a different focus rather than hour-by-hour scheduling. Monday might be for deep writing, Tuesday for reading and research, Wednesday for collaboration, and so on. This provides structure while preserving flexibility within each day.
“I can’t leave town—can this still feel like a real sabbatical?”
Not everyone can relocate for their sabbatical. Family obligations, financial constraints, and other responsibilities keep many academics at home during sabbatical. Many of my clients worry that their sabbatical won’t feel any different from a regular semester because they’ll be at home the whole time. This doesn’t have to be the case, but it does take planning with intention to make a stay-battical feel truly different from a regular semester.
The solution: The best way to make a stay-battical feel different is to create daily routines and rhythms that feel distinctly different from your normal day-to-day. For many of my clients, this means slowing down and building in intentional rest. Changing your daily rhythm signals to your brain and body that you’re in a different season. This change doesn’t have to be dramatic; it can be as simple as enjoying a cup of coffee or going for a short walk before you transition into work mode. It also helps to set clear boundaries around your work time (e.g. working from 9-12 every morning and then taking the afternoon off; only having meetings a few afternoons a week so your time is not always scheduled).
I found that adding an activity that was just for me and completely unrelated to my scholarship helped me feel like I was on sabbatical during my semester at home. For me, that was enrolling in a pottery class, which created accountability because I had to go to class each week and required my full attention (no checking texts or emails for 2 hours/week). What do you like to do for fun? What is something you wish you had time for during a regular semester? Commit to doing something just for you during sabbatical to make the time feel distinct from a regular semester.
If you really crave getting out of town, you can also plan a vacation or trip during the summer or during your kids’ spring break (no spring break camp=happy kids!). If you’d rather travel solo, consider taking mini-retreats throughout your sabbatical: 2 nights at a nearby Airbnb for a writing retreat, a long weekend to visit family you don’t see on a regular basis, or a short trip to visit a colleague at a different institution.
The key to making a sabbatical at home feel like sabbatical is changing your mindset. Instead of being disappointed that you can’t go away, be intentional about the ways you can make this time feel different. This often entails setting clear boundaries and being intentional about creating new rhythms and routines for your sabbatical.
“Wait—I can do things besides work?”
I’m a firm believer that a sabbatical is not only about work and productivity. Rest and rejuvenation during a sabbatical is essential. If you’ve reached your sabbatical feeling burned out and exhausted, continuing to work at the pace that got you to that point will keep you trapped in a cycle of burnout and overwhelm. Many academics have internalized the message that a sabbatical is purely for scholarly productivity, in large part because we have to justify to our institution how we use the time, and sabbatical applications are all about productivity (read this blog post for more about the sabbatical “shoulds”). However, the term sabbatical itself comes from the concept of rest, and I fully embrace that definition.
The solution: Broaden your definition of what a sabbatical is for. Yes, there’s some scholarly work that must be done, but that work doesn’t necessarily have to lead to a tangible product. For example, if your goal is to identify a new research direction, your work on sabbatical might be to read widely in a new area and meet with potential collaborators in that field. This work does not have to lead to a tangible product like a publication or grant submission. The product of this work might be a running word doc where you keep track of your ideas and potential next steps. In this scenario, the purpose of the sabbatical is to lay the groundwork for the next project by taking the time to read, reflect, and connect.
I am also a proponent of taking as much time as you can to not work during sabbatical. I know it’s hard to consider when you’re a successful, motivated person, but I’ve seen firsthand the transformative power of not working. At the start of my sabbatical, I was so burned out that working was not an option. I was fortunate to have a yearlong sabbatical, and I did no work for the first five months. I was a little worried that if I took time off I’d never feel motivated to start working again, which is why I was completely surprised when, after my time off, I found myself wanting to re-engage with my work. As I started to feel rested and centered again, I became interested in my research again. I shed the resentment and negativity that had built up in the years leading up to sabbatical and started to feel curious about my work. This was the biggest and most gratifying surprise of my sabbatical, and it’s something I’ve seen my clients experience, too.
You may not feel like you need or want to take time off completely during your sabbatical, and that’s fine. What I encourage you to do, though, is to think about things you want to do for yourself during your sabbatical and create time in your schedule for those activities. I see a sabbatical as a key component of a sustainable career; it’s a great time to reconnect with your non-scholarly interests and identity and to build habits and routines that nourish you so that you can go back to work refreshed and ready for what’s next in your career.
“How do I set boundaries with students, colleagues, and collaborators?”
Perhaps the most universal challenge: everyone wants a piece of your sabbatical. Students need recommendation letters, colleagues want you at meetings, collaborators push for progress on joint projects. Without clear boundaries, your sabbatical evaporates. It can feel hard to set boundaries, but identifying them early and communicating your boundaries clearly helps protect your time and energy, allowing you to focus on your sabbatical priorities.
The solution: Identify boundaries for each group (e.g. undergrads, doctoral advisees, collaborators) and communicate them clearly before your sabbatical begins. The key here is communicating in advance. Sabbatical boundaries are not just about an email away message (though you’ll need one of those, too). When you decide on and communicate a boundary in advance, it saves you from having to make case-by-case and in-the-moment decisions about every request that comes across your desk during sabbatical.
Here are a few boundary-setting pro tips:
You can have different boundaries for different people/groups. A student writing their dissertation will have different needs than a 2nd year student whose primary focus is coursework. You have different availability and expectations for different people, based on their needs (and your desired availability) during your sabbatical.
Decide once to not review journal articles or grant proposals during your sabbatical. If you’re on an editorial board you may want to continue to review, but in most cases you can step away from this completely and just decide to say “no” to all invitations. Trust me, they’ll keep asking you after your sabbatical!
Think in advance about whether you’ll be open to writing recommendation letters during sabbatical. If you are open to writing letters, create a system before you leave and communicate this to students in advance. One of my clients created a google form that students must complete if they are requesting a rec letter. This allows her to ask for much of the information she’ll need to write a strong letter and puts some of the responsibility on the student to provide the information she needs.
With collaborators, have honest conversations about timelines and capacity. It’s better to negotiate realistic expectations upfront than to feel resentful and overwhelmed during your leave. Some collaborations might need to pause; others might continue with adjusted roles or deadlines.
Remember that boundaries aren’t selfish—they’re essential for the sabbatical to serve its intended purpose. Your department and institution granted you this leave because they understand the value of sustained focus and renewal. Protecting that time honors the sabbatical’s purpose and ensures you can return ready to contribute fully.
Final thoughts
Sabbatical planning isn’t about creating the perfect schedule that you’ll never deviate from or doing ALL the things on your to-do list (I’m sure you’re aware by now that the to-do list is never fully finished!).
The best way to plan for your sabbatical is to be really clear about what you want to get from this time, and to create a plan that foregrounds a small number of priorities that matter for you right now. Don’t put too much pressure on your sabbatical to get all the things done or to become the best version of yourself. It’s too stressful. Focus on slowing down, working with focus and intention, and creating a career that can sustain you in the years ahead.