Big Time Off: What Sabbatical Gives Back to Us with DJ DiDonna

What happens when you finally have enough time away from work to see your life clearly? DJ DiDonna has spent nearly a decade trying to understand that question. After his own sabbatical changed the direction of his life, he founded The Sabbatical Project and began researching what actually happens when people step away from work for an extended period of time. In part one of this conversation, Alan sits down with DJ to compare what the research says with what we've seen through years of walking alongside leaders on sabbatical. They talk about why sabbaticals are becoming more common, why so many people wait until something goes wrong before stepping away, and what happens when work has slowly taken up more of our identity than we realized. DJ also shares his own story. On paper, he had built the company and career he wanted. Underneath it, something wasn't working. He describes what he calls "functional workaholism," where life can look successful from the outside while you're operating at a lower level on the inside. Sabbatical gave him enough space to recognize it, reconnect with parts of himself he had neglected, and consider what he wanted the next season of his life to look like. The conversation also gets into something that's difficult to measure but shows up again and again in the research: people often come back from sabbatical feeling more human. They rediscover hobbies, relationships, curiosity, creativity, and parts of themselves that didn't have much room when work was setting the pace. In this episode - Why sabbaticals have gained momentum over the last decade - What DJ's research reveals about why people finally decide to take one - DJ's experience with functional workaholism and the sabbatical that changed the direction of his life - Why identity can become so closely connected to our work - What it means to develop a more human relationship with work - How sabbatical creates room for relationships, curiosity, creativity, and things that are important but rarely urgent - Why some of the most meaningful sabbaticals happen during seasons of difficulty - The role sabbatical can play in seasons of celebration and transition - What leaders can learn by paying attention to what changed while they were away A question to carry with you What in your life is important, but never urgent? For DJ, sabbatical created room for things he had said mattered but that his calendar told a different story about. Relationships, spirituality, curiosity and simply being present had gradually been pushed aside by work. Most of us have something like that. The question isn't whether those things matter to us. It's whether the way we're living gives them any room to matter. About DJ DiDonna DJ DiDonna is a Senior Lecturer of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, where he teaches MBA courses on entrepreneurship and building meaningful professional and personal lives. He has spent his career translating social science research into real-world tools for positive change. In 2019, DJ founded The Sabbatical Project to define, explore, and research the role of sabbaticals in modern life. He has helped organizations around the world, from nonprofits to Fortune 50 companies, design and implement sabbatical policies. His work has been featured in *The Atlantic, Harvard Business Review, Time, Fast Company, The Wall Street Journal,* and *The New York Times.* Before this work, DJ cofounded EFL Global, a fintech company that enabled more than $2 billion in capital to underbanked businesses and individuals across twenty countries before its acquisition in 2018. His new book, *Big Time Off*, brings together his research, personal experience, and the stories of sabbatical takers to explore what becomes possible when we create meaningful time away from work. This is part one of our conversation with DJ. In part two, we'll talk about the three sabbatical archetypes, regret, what the future of sabbatical could look like, and how to move from thinking about a sabbatical to actually making one possible. Resources Big Time Off DJ's new book brings together years of research and real-world stories about sabbaticals and extended time away from work. bigtimeoffbook.com The Sabbatical Project Research, stories, and resources exploring the role of sabbaticals in modern life and work. thesabbaticalproject.org Connect with DJ DiDonna linkedin.com/in/djdidonna The Sabbatical Journey Alan Briggs' field guide for preparing for, experiencing, and returning well from a sabbatical. Learn more about Sabbatical Coaching Group and take your next right step at sabbaticalcoachinggroup.com.