“A year from now you may wish you had started today.”
There’s no better time than now to commit to making your dreams happen. If an extended break from work is at the top of your list for the upcoming years, these four steps will help turn that vision into reality.
Make sure to save this post for later! 📌 You can go back to it to support your planning.
4 Steps If You Want To Start Planning Your Career Break
Step 1: Commit to Your Career Break
➡️ Committing is the most crucial step—and perhaps the hardest.
It’s normal to feel a mix of excitement and fear. Taking a sabbatical is a big decision that requires both emotional and financial preparation. But if you don’t fully commit, you’ll always find reasons why it’s not the right time. Just like having kids, moving across the country, or changing careers, there’s never a “perfect” moment.
If this is something you truly want, do yourself a favor and commit now!
How to Strengthen Your Commitment:
- Define your why. Why do you want to take this break? Are you feeling burned out? Seeking adventure, personal growth, or more time with loved ones? Just want to get off the hampster wheel for a bit? Acknowledging your motivation will help you stay focused and push through the doubts that may arise at times.
- Set clear sabbatical goals. Having a purpose behind your decision will make your commitment stronger and help you communicate it to others, gaining more support along the way. If you need help setting your sabbatical goals, consider these 5 questions.
Once you commit, you can find a way to make the break happen!
Step 2: Build a Support Network & Seek Inspiration
Once you’ve committed, share your decision with people who will support and encourage you—whether it’s friends, family, or an online community of career breakers. BreakSpace is a great space to surround yourself with like-minded people.
Talking about your plans makes them feel more real and provides a support system to keep you accountable. And your network of supporters can help you work through some of the unknowns, remove obstacles, and help you get excited about opportunities you may never have even thought of.
You never know what connections or prior experiences other people have had until you share about what you’re planning to do! You’ll soon find that you are not alone in this at all!
Not Everyone Will Understand—And That’s Okay
Taking a non-traditional path can be intimidating for others. When we step outside the standard career trajectory, it can raise doubts, fears, or even resistance from those around us. That’s why, especially in the early stages, it’s helpful to be selective about who you share your plans with. As your vision solidifies, you’ll gain confidence and will be better equipped to handle skepticism.
📌 Action Step: Read inspiring sabbatical stories, listen to the Sabbatical Stories podcast, and reach out to people in your network who have taken one.
Many people assume financial concerns are the main reason they can’t take a sabbatical, but mindset blocks are often the bigger barrier. The best way to stay motivated? Surround yourself with inspiring stories from those who have done it.
Step 3: Assess Your Financial Situation & Plan for Flexibility
Financial concerns are rarely the true reason many people postpone their sabbatical—that’s why this step comes third, not first.
But don’t get us wrong: strong financial planning is key to making your career break stress-free.
Key Financial Steps:
- Assess your current financial situation. You need to know where you stand now before you can plan where to go.
- Create a sabbatical budget. Factor in travel, accommodation, insurance, and daily expenses. We like to establish a daily run rate or overall budget per location or month instead of a detailed budget spreadsheet.
- Build an emergency “buffer.” Unexpected costs are inevitable, so plan for them. And then add a little more to this line item 🙂
- Think beyond budgeting. Will you work remotely or will you not have any income coming in during that time? Will you need to cut expenses before leaving? How to (or will you) contribute to your retirement plan while you’re away?
➡️ Strategic financial planning is so much more than just budgeting!
Looking at the big picture from multiple angles ensures you won’t unintentionally leave money on the table, and, more importantly, it helps you feel confident that your sabbatical won’t derail your long-term goals.
💡 Pro Tip: Don’t miss out on smart financial strategies. Allow someone else to oversee your accounts while you’re away so you can focus on enjoying your sabbatical!
Working with Middleton & Company can help you make the most of your time away.
We:
- Strategize on employee benefits and insurance needs
- Build an account strategy so you have money available when you need it for your sabbatical while also saving to the right types of accounts to meet your longer term financial goals
- Match your investment risk profile to your sabbatical lifestyle
- Take advantage of tax savings opportunities
Our experience has shown that sometimes, all you need is someone else to give you the green-light. We’re here to do that.
Step 4: Envision Life After Your Sabbatical
A sabbatical isn’t just about the time away—it’s also about what happens when you return. Will you go back to your previous job, switch careers, or are you still figuring it out? Give yourself the space to explore different possibilities. And don’t be surprised if this changes along the way.
Many people find their sabbatical shifts their priorities in unexpected ways. Planning to give yourself the time to figure it out allows for a smoother transition back into work and life.
💡 Financial Planning Tip: Having financial flexibility upon return can give you time to reflect and avoid rushing into your next step.
We usually recommend planning for 3-6 months of a financial runway between when you think your sabbatical will officially end and when you find your next job.
It may seem like after a break you’d be ready to jump into your next role, but we’ve seen that the exact opposite can be true.
After having time to unravel the structure, expectations, and assumptions that have just built up over time, people who have taken a sabbatical tend to return with more focus and are more selective about how their next career phase will unfold. And that’s the point of the break in the first place, isn’t it? So plan in that buffer time (and budget) so you can make your next step the best it can be.
Leaving your job, home, and routine to travel the world is both exciting and overwhelming. But with the right planning, you can make the transition smooth and enjoyable!
With us on your team, we make your sabbatical a reality. Learn more about how we can support you before, during, and after your break. And if you want to book a free initial call, click here.
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taylor anderson
Taylor is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) with a knack for making complex concepts simple and visual. After taking a two-and-a-half-year sabbatical to join the Peace Corps and travel Southeast Asia, she now satisfies her travel itch by exploring the Northwest in her Sprinter van with her two boys. When she's not helping clients with financial planning, you'll find her backcountry skiing with her husband and Australian Shepherd.