What if, instead of saving all our freedom for retirement, we borrowed some of those years and sprinkled them throughout our working lives?

Designer Stefan Sagmeister shuts down his entire business for a year every seven years. And research by DJ DiDonna, author of 'Big Time Off', suggests that people who take sabbaticals often describe them as some of the peak experiences of their lives — returning with less burnout, more creativity, stronger relationships and greater confidence to make changes.

So why do so many of us wait until we're burned out, made redundant, hit by a health scare — or finally retire — before giving ourselves permission to stop?

In this episode, we explore how to take a sabbatical, why it's very different from an extended holiday, and whether we should actually design regular periods of time off into our careers.

You'll hear us discuss:

• What actually counts as a sabbatical — and the importance of duration, intention and genuinely disconnecting
• Why it can take six to eight weeks just to properly switch off from work
• Why sabbaticals shouldn't only be something we take when we're burned out or desperately need a break
• Chris's accidental sabbatical after quitting his job and moving to California with no job or home lined up — and the paid three-month career break he now wishes he'd used differently
• The four stages that can help you get more from a sabbatical: decompress, disconnect, explore and experiment, then work out what you want to bring home
• Why adults need more opportunities to play, experiment and do things that have absolutely nothing to do with career progression
• The case for taking six to twelve months off every decade, rather than saving all our freedom for retirement
• How you could start planning and saving now to make regular sabbaticals financially possible
• Why Gen Z might choose to accumulate experiences rather than things — and whether Gen X could learn something from that
• How to address the big barriers: money, children, career progression and the fear of what you'll come back to
• Why a sabbatical could actually make you more resilient, interesting and confident when you return
• And how Gen X can apply the same principles to designing a more flexible transition into retirement

Along the way, Chris challenges Lily to start planning now for a six-month sabbatical around the time she turns 30 — and by the end of the conversation, she's ready to set up the savings pot.

Because perhaps the question isn't “Can I afford to take a sabbatical?”

It's “How could I design my life so that I can?”

And, just as importantly: what might it cost me if I never do?

Hit play now.

1.30 A celebrated sabbatical taker

2.42 Defining a sabbatical

5.57 Origins of the sabbatical and current reality

8.39 Do you take a sabbatical or does it take you?

10.28 Chris' 1st sabbatical (California)

15.57 Chris' 2nd sabbatical (at home)

18.56 What makes a good sabbatical?

23.12 How Gen Z can plan and prepare for multiple sabbaticals

32.31 How to overcome the barriers

40.06 The risk of not taking one

41.40 Is it too late for Gen X to take one?

43.48 What to do now to set yourself up for a sabbatical

The Gen X/Z Exchange is a UK podcast exploring career change, purpose, wellbeing and modern life through honest conversations between a Gen X dad and his Gen Z daughter - helping you navigate life’s transitions with perspective across generations.

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https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisperkins172/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lily-perkins-8446a82bb/