Chasing boredom and catching wonder during my Sabbatical

When I set out to take a Sabbatical, I knew exactly what I wanted to do: chase boredom.

My brain is always busy, for better or for worse. To let random thoughts appear and meander, I need time and space. With enough freedom from pressure and other to-dos, my thoughts make their way to each other, find a cohesive path, and I can eventually do something about them. This summer, I had a chance to give my thoughts that break. Twenty-two years of Blue Garnet has been unimaginably impactful, growing, and fulfilling for me. Yet the responsibility of serving as managing partner for the past 7-8 years has meant that most of my thinking time went to leading and managing. To me, taking a Sabbatical and chasing boredom allowed space and time for my internal activity to do its thing. It had been a while, and I really needed to quiet things down enough to listen to myself.

So from July until October, I took a break from my Blue Garnet work, while still keeping pace with the rhythms of my various other roles. In retrospect, my 12 weeks off fell into 3 ‘stages’ (which could be helpful for you, if you consider doing a Sabbatical in the future, too!):

• Stage 1: Vacation. The stage of ‘taking off’ and decompressing. For me, it meant traveling and exploring new places with loved ones. From hiking through Mt. Rainier (WA) with family, to catching a baseball game at Fenway Park (MA) with my son, to swimming in the cool waters of Lake Winnipesaukee (NH) with friends, I was able to get away physically and put some distance between me and work.
• Stage 2: Daily life. This was the stage of settling in, while developing new habits. With more space and time, I honed my decent culinary, passing archery, and very novice cello skills (not all at the same time! :)) I made an impressive dent in the pile of neglected books on my bedside table. I increased my physical activity and even started to embrace ‘athleisure wear.’ I was more accessible and engaged with family and friends, to both our benefits. Along the way, I reached a degree of attentive stillness and ease that I had not felt in a long, long time.
• Stage 3: Rounding it out. The stage of preparing for the “new normal” when I return to work. With my time off coming to an end, I visited and supported my parents in Taiwan, helped my teenagers settle into their new school year, and finished a couple of projects at home. I also modified and fortified my habits, like waking up earlier to get my exercise and deprioritizing some fun-but-not critical activities (bye-bye, homemade pasta!). These were all needed to maintain this sense of ease I had regained, once back at work.

Funny enough, the experience of taking my mind off my Blue Garnet work ended up giving me some learnings I have brought right back to it.

• Rushing stifles learning. The process of discovery and learning (regardless of subject matter) gives me a rush and infuses in me a sense of wonder. It has become clearer to me with age that I cannot learn well when I feel a clock ticking down. I think we all need to be more patient and realistic about what kind of process it takes to reach deeper understanding that results in stronger solutions. Slowing down makes us better collaborators with others.
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• Stepping back ensures greater perspective when diving back in. The mere fact that I wasn’t doing Blue Garnet work opened the door for other experiences that gave new perspectives. Working on my archery draw got me thinking about the inherent tension that must exist for the arrow to hit its target (expect more on how this applies to social impact work in 2025!). The juices that flowed then are now being brought back into my work.
• It’s hard work to care for each other, and it’s so important to do so. How we treat each other defines us just as much as what we do. Just in the past 5 years, we’ve all had to pivot our organizations and teams in reaction to social, economic, political and global health turmoil, all while experiencing these stresses ourselves. Many of us are spent. To best take care of others, we need to care for ourselves too—and a Sabbatical is a great way to do so (if it’s an option).
• Slowing down takes the time it takes. At week 4, I asked my children whether they noticed any difference in me. They said “no.” At week 10, I asked them again. This time they said yes – I was more patient; less stressed. You can always count on kids to give honest feedback!) I now appreciate that resetting and restoring takes time, often longer than two weeks of vacation. 

Even before the Sabbatical, I ‘knew’ these lessons in my mind. Now, I ‘feel’ them in my heart. I finally slowed life down to a pace that I felt was natural and healthy. Instead of letting that slip away, my challenge now is to hold tightly to the feeling of wonder and ease that I’ve recaptured, and to safeguard it. My strategy? Find ways to keep it going in smaller doses and spread it to others.

So, in the spirit of spreading the fantastic feeling of wonder and ease, I’d like to offer some unsolicited advice on taking a Sabbatical:

• Only you can say what a successful Sabbatical is for you. And don’t feel like you must accomplish… anything. Taking pressure off yourself to achieve something during your Sabbatical may be its own greatest accomplishment.
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• Treat transition as a verb. It takes time to capture, plan, and communicate what needs to be done during your time away. While creating and talking through a transition memo can be quite overwhelming, it is critical for a smooth transition for your team.
• Create a Sabbatical “bubble” so that you really are out. For me, I “unchecked” my work calendar on my computer and phone, turned off any work-related notifications, and trusted my teammates to avoid piercing that bubble.
• Go plan and take that Sabbatical! Going away and letting other people shine is healthy for an organization. In fact, Sabbaticals offer one of the greatest symbiotic benefits for an organization – I was able to rest, restore and reignite my energy and commitment for the work; at the same time, others gained opportunities to take on new roles and figure out what and how they would lead. So sending me off was good for Blue Garnet, too!

I am so grateful for the care and support of the Blue Garnet team, our clients, and my family, all of whom collectively gifted this opportunity to me. I hope to inspire others to slow down and embrace a sense of wonder and ease. For more on Sabbaticals, check out Jenni’s Sabbatical blog and the helpful resources at the Durfee Foundation. And next time we meet, I invite you to ask me about my Sabbatical journey. I’ve got so much more to share!