Advisers are busy people. They spend many hours meeting with students daily and completing multiple tasks that can include paperwork, meetings, teaching, phone calls, university service, programmatic responsibilities, and the ever-present email inbox (Donnelly, 2009). And while there are lulls in student traffic during breaks and portions of the term, the accompanying tasks are ongoing. While these are all part of advising, they can easily crowd out time for professional development and restorative practices that make advising sustainable over the long term. What is an adviser to do?

After a recent fall term, I was feeling stretched thin after a term which included new programmatic responsibilities, teaching a class, and a heavy advising load. Furthermore, my professional development had stalled. I had books and journals gathering dust on my shelves and I had some reoccurring ideas I wanted to write about. In short, I needed to regroup, refocus, and reground myself professionally. As a way to do so, I envisioned and implemented an “advising sabbatical”— an intentional step back from daily advising activities to provide space for professional development activities and restore my energy for advising. In this article, I discuss the genesis of the advising sabbatical concept, including goals and possible benefits. In addition, I provide an analysis of the advising sabbaticals I have arranged and outline some practical considerations, including strategies conducive to a successful experience and gaining supervisor and co-worker support.

Sabbaticals are Not Just for Professors

The term “sabbatical” often brings to mind college faculty members taking a long-term respite from their teaching and administrative duties to focus on research and discovery (Davidson et al., 2010). But sabbaticals and sabbatical-like activities are not exclusive to higher education. There are ad agency owners, graphic designers, world-famous chefs, scientists, business executives, and others who take periodic sabbaticals from their normal work routines (Abad, 2014; Trapani, 2009; Walsh, 2011). They do so to pursue “personal and professional renewal, a renewal of their creativity, the discovery of new ideas, and broader perspectives on their companies and industries” (Pang, 2016). One well-known example from the corporate world is Bill Gates’ periodic “think weeks.” Gates gets away from Microsoft for a week twice each year to a remote Northwest cabin. He churns through and digests hundreds of papers, mostly internal reports, to understand larger trends in Microsoft and the industry more broadly (Guth, 2005).

After the sabbatical period, sabbatees re-engage with their daily work, now informed by their sabbatical activities. Back at the office, Gates acts on his “think week” insights with significant (and often lucrative) shifts in Microsoft’s policies, products, and strategies (Guth, 2005). Similarly, professional chefs experimenting with new ingredients, cuisines, or techniques infuse them into their restaurant menus or the dishes they prepare post-sabbatical. (Abad, 2014; Walsh, 2011)

Envisioning an Advising Sabbatical

After researching various forms of sabbatical-taking, I conceptualized an “advising sabbatical.” This would be an extended period during which an adviser would intentionally set aside time to disconnect—mentally, physically, and electronically—from daily advising activities including appointments, emails, phone calls, and meeting attendance. Instead, the adviser would engage in activities to inform, improve, or refocus their advising work, with the goal of professional restoration and amelioration of the effects of daily advising. Afterwards, the adviser incorporates the resulting knowledge, skills, and perspectives and returns refreshed to their daily advising practice.

To test the concept, I arranged multi-day “advising sabbaticals” during three term breaks. During these periods, I did not schedule any appointments, check email, work on projects, or complete paperwork. To further disconnect, I found a space in the university library to work. Although on campus, it provided sufficient separation to diminish the lure of routine activities. I focused on professional development activities where I had not seen recent progress and that would benefit from longer, uninterrupted stretches of time. Some of these activities included:

• Reading widely on recent developments in advising and higher education.
• Researching ideas of interest for my advising practice.
• Writing to explore advising-related ideas with the eventual goal of publication.
• Learning basic computer programming (technology-oriented projects are in my assigned portfolio).

Other activities that could benefit from the sabbatical environment are:

• Writing projects including monographs, journal articles, or an advising philosophy statement.
• Conducting advising research.
• Working on a conference presentation.
• Thinking through new initiatives or big-picture activities such as developing the mission for an advising office.
• For advisers who teach, designing a new course or revising an existing course.

At end of my advising sabbaticals, I found they did produce the desired effects in line with what other sabbatees report: professional restoration, renewal, and mitigation of job-related stress (Davidson et al., 2010). I observed a noticeable dent in my reading list, significant progress on writing projects, and a keener sense of current directions in the profession. Moreover, I refocused my advising through reading and research as well as decisions with regard to future professional activities. Finally, I experienced a palpable rejuvenation and renewed enthusiasm for advising.

Characteristics Conducive to a Successful Advising Sabbatical

After analyzing my experience, I compiled some observations on what contributed to the success of the sabbatical time. I found three factors to be the most significant.

1. The length of a sabbatical contributes to its success.

While sabbatical lengths range widely from a week or two to a semester or even a year, it needs to be long enough to promote disconnection from usual workplace activities (Pang, 2016). At least two full days seems to be the minimum to begin realizing the advising sabbatical’s benefits. The first day begins the process of mentally setting aside other activities and bringing full attention to the sabbatical tasks. On the second and subsequent days, when the disconnection is more established, it becomes easier to start right into the sabbatical activities. Multiple, consecutive days also brings further benefits. They make possible activities, such as writing a book chapter or journal article, that demand longer stretches of time to realize significant progress. When consecutive days are not feasible, regularly scheduled morning or afternoon-long periods, while not as effective, are variations that can produce similar results.

2. Sabbatical location contributes to disconnection.

Since intrusion of daily activities can easily derail sabbatical activities, ideally, it should take place out of the advising office. Promising locations could include the library or other quiet campus spaces. Spaces which can be reserved in advance can be particularly attractive. For some, a local coffee shop may provide the atmosphere conducive to reading, writing, or other creative work. The adviser’s residence may also be an option depending on the presence of family members. To reinforce the physical disconnection, turning off notifications on devices and quitting email and messaging applications can also reduce interruptions that may unwittingly draw focus away from the planned activities.

3. Plan activities in advance.

Since it will be brief, carefully planning activities and gathering materials beforehand will help maximize the time. For his “think weeks,” Gates queues up all the reports and papers to read in advance, so he’s not using time deciding what to read (Guth, 2005). Similarly, an adviser could collect reading materials, plan a writing project agenda, or gather data to be analyzed beforehand. Additionally, it can be helpful to schedule different activities for each part of the day to maximize the use of the time. For example, planning writing during the day when energy levels are high and allocating other activities, such as reading, to other times. Finally, completing tasks that might take focus off sabbatical activities beforehand, such as following up with a particular student or completing a requested report, is also helpful.

Gaining Support from Supervisors and Co-Workers

While CEOs and chefs who own their restaurants may not need permission for a sabbatical, advisers likely do not have this luxury. In addition to planning sabbatical details, successful sabbatical-taking requires support from supervisors and colleagues alike. Supervisors may be concerned with reduced staffing affecting appointment availability and other mission-critical activities. Similarly, co-workers may wonder if they will bear a disproportionate share of the advising load with an unavailable colleague. There are at least three aspects to the advising sabbatical that should reassure skeptical supervisors and co-workers.

First, due to their short length, the timing for advising sabbaticals is highly flexible. They can be scheduled during term breaks, summer sessions, or other periods of lower student traffic. Proposing a sabbatical during these periods can ease supervisors’ staffing concerns and allay co-workers’ fears of picking up appointment slack.

Second, advising sabbaticals focus on typical professional development activities, which can help reduce skepticism. Reading professional journals, working on writing and research, or preparing a conference presentation are routine higher education activities. Thus, supervisors and co-workers will more likely understand and support them, particularly if the institution requires continuing professional development. Furthermore, compared with other forms of professional development, such as conference attendance, two or three sabbatical days can be an attractive option for units facing budgetary constraints.

Finally, an important benefit sabbatical-takers repeatedly cite is professional restoration, renewal of their creative energies, and stress reduction (Davidson et al., 2010; Pang, 2016). This has profound implications for advisers in light of the recent awareness of advising’s psychological and emotional toll and focus on adviser self-care (Ali & Johns, 2018; Harman, 2018). With this type of renewal as a distinct possibility, supporting advising sabbaticals may contribute to longevity in a position, avoiding burnout, and reducing compassion fatigue. With the time and resources needed to hire and train advisers, most supervisors would be interested in supporting activities that contribute to longer position tenure. Likewise, co-workers, facing similar challenges of workload and daily demands, will benefit from work environments where fellow advisers have the energy and compassion to work with students effectively. This may avert the need to compensate for burnt out team members. Additionally, frequent staff turnover can sap team morale, so advisers similarly have an interest in a stable advising staff. Furthermore, co-workers supporting an advising sabbatical for one adviser see the prospect of taking their own in the future and finding the support to do so. Thus, supervisors and co-workers have compelling reasons to support advising sabbaticals knowing they can have positive effects on their own professional well-being and the advising office work environment.

Implementing an Advising Sabbatical

If after a review of the goals, structure, activities, and preparation for an advising sabbatical, if I’ve persuaded you to give one a try, I suggest a few steps for planning and implementation. First, determine the sabbatical’s purpose. Emphasize goals and accompanying activities that are meaningful for your professional development or advising work at a macro level, but have been challenging to accomplish within the daily activities of your position. When determining a sabbatical’s purpose, it is important to emphasize the overall goal is to have time and mental space for these activities—not to catch up on other work. Once the purpose is defined, work out the details including the timing and duration that makes the most sense, where it will take place, and activities in which you will engage. As discussed above, these details contribute significantly to the success of the sabbatical and therefore merit careful planning. Advising sabbaticals will no doubt take different forms based on the context and this is to be expected. Finally, garner the necessary support from supervisors and co-workers. Explain your plan, the reasons behind it, and benefits to the unit. Doing this goes a long way toward gaining the necessary support.

The advising sabbatical presents a powerful tool to respond to the daily demands on academic advisers, including the real dangers of burnout and compassion fatigue, and to make room for continued professional development. I have sketched out its contours including purpose, possible activities, strategies for making the most of the time, and tips for obtaining support from supervisors and co-workers. While it may seem difficult to justify in the light of advising’s daily demands, using an advising sabbatical to create an intentional respite opens up multiple possibilities for the professional revitalization needed to effectively and sustainably meet those demands.

References

Abad, M. (2014, July 2). Sagmeister: “Variety makes you happier.” Ferran Adrià. https://ferranadria.fundaciontelefonica.com/expo/en/blog/2014/07/02/sagmeister-variety-makes-happier/

Ali, M., & Johns, S. (2018). Compassion Fatigue and Self-Care for Academic Advisors. Academic Advising Today, 41(4). https://nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Academic-Advising-Today/View-Articles/Compassion-Fatigue-and-Self-Care-for-Academic-Advisors.aspx

Davidson, O. B., Eden, D., Westman, M., Cohen-Charash, Y., Hammer, L. B., Kluger, A. N., Krausz, M., Maslach, C., O’Driscoll, M., Perrewé, P. L., Quick, J. C., Rosenblatt, Z., & Spector, P. E. (2010). Sabbatical leave: Who gains and how much? Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(5), 953–964. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0020068

Donnelly, N. (2009). A National Survey of Academic-Advisor Job Satisfaction. NACADA Journal, 29(1), 5–21. https://doi.org/10.12930/0271-9517-29.1.5

Guth, R. (2005, March 28). In Secret Hideaway, Bill Gates Ponders Microsoft’s Future. The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB111196625830690477

Harman, E. (2018, August 27). Recharging Our Emotional Batteries: The Importance of Self-Care for Front Line Advisors. https://nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Academic-Advising-Today/View-Articles/Recharging-Our-Emotional-Batteries-The-Importance-of-Self-Care-for-Front-Line-Advisors.aspx

Pang, A. S.-K. (2016). Rest: Why you get more done when you work less. Basic Books.

Trapani, G. (2009, October 20). Burned Out? Take a Creative Sabbatical. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2009/10/increase-your-productivity-by

Walsh, J. (2011, October 22). The last supper: El Bulli closes its doors. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/last-supper-el-bulli-closes-its-doors-2327826.html