SABBATICAL

For readers of Arthur Brooks' FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH and Cal Newport's DEEP WORK, in this book Harvard Senior Lecturer, entrepreneur and founder of The Sabbatical Project DJ DiDonna weaves research, case studies, and advice into a rich narrative history of the movement, its urgency for the future of work and living a meaningful life.

Sabbaticals have exploded in popularity to help people reclaim their health from burnout, redirect their careers, and find meaning in their personal and professional lives. As a Senior Lecturer at the Harvard Business School and the founder of The Sabbatical Project, a research and coaching platform that offers support to individuals, companies, and nonprofits issuing sabbatical policies, DJ DiDonna seeks to dispel the stigma that time off is unproductive and illustrate how such a break can be used to establish a more symbiotic relationship between our career and personal life. Company-supported absences post-pandemic are more common than ever as organizations seek to create new paths for workers to step away for a well-deserved break or take a pause before they pivot into a different role. Structured to demonstrate the various milestones and life events that can precipitate a sabbatical, SABBATICAL includes original research and provides case studies of those whose lives were positively transformed because they gave themselves permission to take a break whether to pursue a passion, tend to their families, or detox from "workism." By DiDonna's definition, sabbaticals should strive to go beyond recovering from burnout and are best spent by learning more about yourself in unstructured, even "unproductive," ways. When sabbaticals serendipitously unfold from recovery to exploration to putting that learning into practice, they can lead you to a radical new self. Having experienced this himself, DiDonna will include profound insights gleaned from his sabbatical journey and offer actionable steps for readers who are seeking the confidence to take a temporary leave from work. DJ DiDonna is a Senior Lecturer in the Entrepreneurial Management Unit at Harvard Business School, where he teaches the required first-year course: The Entrepreneurial Manager, and will be teaching Startup Bootcamp. Throughout his time at The Sabbatical Project, DiDonna has helped big companies like Google, DaVita, and Zappos establish the foundation for a healthier, more harmonious work environment. His achievements with The Sabbatical Project have earned him recognition from countless notable media outlets, from TIME Magazine, The Washington Post, and Harvard Business Review to Fortune, The New York Times, and The Atlantic. DiDonna has appeared on the stage at TEDx in Silicon Valley and been interviewed on several podcasts.