I used to take yearly sabbaticals. For three glorious months each summer my time was more or less my own. I did whatever took my fancy: running around the yard with my siblings, reading books, pestering my parents. You probably did, too. We were little, so the associated learning was not exactly productive. Luckily, sabbaticals don\u2019t need to be productive to have benefits.<\/p>\n
Sabbaticals were traditionally year-long, funded affairs reserved for scholars and professors. Today, most people consider any break from regular work lasting a month or more a sabbatical (though counting summer vacation is surely unconventional). A sabbatical might include long-term traveling vacations or goal-oriented career breaks. The trend is catching on: people are crafting their own sabbaticals and even companies are coming aboard. Nearly 17% of employers<\/a> offered some form of sabbatical in 2017.<\/p>\n The goal of a sabbatical, even one that is goal-oriented, is to rejuvenate and reap the accompanying rewards. What does science have to say? Studies documenting the benefits of substantial breaks point to an increased sense of well-being, greater productivity, and a boost to creative thinking.<\/p>\n\t\t