I tend to take an open-ended sabbatical every few years. I took one in 2017 and now again in 2025. It’s not a full year off; for me, it usually lasts around three to six months. That feels like the right rhythm, given that the traditional idea of a sabbatical is taking one year off every seven years. What made the biggest difference, though, was the open-ended nature of it, not having a strict return date. A fixed six-week break wouldn’t really feel like a sabbatical to me.