Why You Should Take a Few Months Off Work (Live from SXSW)
Hello Happiness Lab listeners,
Work consumes so much of our time and mental bandwidth. If you've ever felt really stressed at work, I bet you've had moments where you've longed for a vacation... or just even to hit retirement age. But there is another option for taking a break from the grind—a decision that can help you recharge and reassess. It's called... a sabbatical.
The research is compelling — sabbaticals aren't just extended vacations. They're opportunities for healing, creativity, confidence-building, and perspective shifts that can fundamentally change how we approach our lives and work. But in our achievement-oriented culture that venerates constant productivity, how do we make space for these transformative breaks?
In the latest live episode of The Happiness Lab recorded at SXSW 2025, I spoke with my friend DJ DiDonna, founder of The Sabbatical Project and senior lecturer at Harvard Business School. Our conversation explored the transformative power of sabbaticals, common misconceptions, and why taking an extended break from work might be exactly what you need for your well-being and career.
Here’s your companion guide for the episode, “Why You Should Take a Few Months Off Work (Live from SXSW)”:
5 Facts About Sabbaticals from DJ DiDonna
Sabbaticals should offer true disconnection from work obligations. Ideally when you’re on a sabbatical, your responsibilities are handled by others, meaning no emails pile up and no urgent tasks await your return. Sabbaticals create the mental space for transformation that a two-week break simply can't provide.
Sabbaticals work at any life stage. They're valuable whether you're early in your career, mid-career, or approaching retirement. DJ's research shows sabbaticals serve different purposes throughout our lives – from the exploration needed early in our career, to the healing needed mid-career to prevent burnout, to creating meaningful experiences you'll look back on with satisfaction in later years.
Most people return to their jobs after a sabbatical. Over 80% of employees come back to their companies after sabbaticals, often with renewed energy and fresh perspectives. This challenges the worry that many employers have: that sabbaticals are just exit strategies. In reality, extended breaks from the job often strengthen an employee's connection to their workplace.
Companies benefit from sabbaticals. Organizations gain improved resilience, discover emerging leaders, and enjoy increased innovation from returning employees. Sabbaticals force companies to document and transfer knowledge, building organizational muscle that helps them weather all kinds of transitions – from parental leave to retirement.
Sabbaticals can be accessible. With planning, employer support, or creative arrangements like partial pay or continued benefits, extended breaks can be financially feasible for many employees. In fact, DJ found that many companies have "secret sabbatical policies" or are willing to negotiate arrangements when approached thoughtfully – the key is to start the conversation before reaching a breaking point.
Finally, a note about timing: Don't wait until retirement to live your dreams. The statistics DJ shared during our conversation should give us all pause:
“If you’re a 50-year-old couple, you have less than a 50% chance of both partners reaching retirement age and being mentally and physically able to travel together.”
That someday-bucket-list-time isn't guaranteed. Taking a sabbatical mid-career isn't just about preventing burnout – it's about ensuring you experience the richness of life while you can fully enjoy it. In the context of a 40-year career, taking six months off is just 2% of your working life – a small investment with potentially life-changing returns that you might not be able to experience later.
Take action today: Reach out to someone you know who has taken extended time off from work. Ask them about their experience and what they would do differently. Their insights could be the inspiration you need to start your own journey.
P.S. If you're struggling with burnout right now and can't wait for a future sabbatical, The Happiness Lab has your back! Listen to the episode, “Burnout and How to Avoid It” with Jonathan Malesic, author of The End Of Burnout: Why Work Drains Us, And How To Build Better Lives. And if you’re just looking to find a little more meaning in your workday, listen to the episode, “Working Your Way to Happiness,” where we learn from Professor Amy Wrzesniewski about how “job crafting” at work can increase our job satisfaction.