We all need space.
Mental, physical, and creative space to pause and reflect on where we are and where we want to go.
What is next for you in life?
Next week, next month, next year?
Sabbaticals from work and everyday life are out of reach for most — requiring a rare confluence of time and money and opportunity.
But what if... more people could enjoy the benefits of one, more often?
This simple program and workbook guide you through your one-day sabbatical — based in human-centered design (HCD) and complementary creative, cognitive, and somatic practices.
It's a design workshop as a ritual and retreat,
and it is cheering you on.
Giti S.
“… I found it to be something of a sanctuary and it's been an invaluable escape from my busy schedule.”
Celia W.
“This beautifully designed book guides the reader through the creation of the mindset and setting of a one day retreat intended to ground and refresh the individual. Corral’s approach is inspired, making the idea of true rest within reach for busy working people…”
WHY THIS IS FOR YOU
Why not you? Human cultures around the world have traditions that make time for pause, reflection, and renewal.
Gap year.
Sabbath.
Shabbat.
Sabbatical.
Sabbaticals have many names and can take many forms—whether it’s a break taken by a student between secondary school and higher education, a religious observance and abstinence from work, or a leave granted to a university teacher or other worker for study or travel.
It comes from the Greek sabbatikós, and has been in usage since the late 16th century. It is nothing new, yet curiosity around it is rapidly on the rise in the 2020s.
The global pandemic changed a lot of people’s expectations and habits around work and life. Many of us began looking for more flexible, healthier, or personally sustainable work lives — and just rethinking priorities and ways of living in general.
What’s the difference between regular time off and a sabbatical? Your intention to come out the other side of it transformed.
Tomorrow is not guaranteed for anyone, and there is much to be gained from introducing moments of reflection and regeneration in our lives.
Hit refresh.
Who do you want be?
What do you want?
What do you truly need?
What do you love?
What decision do you need to make?
Where do you want be?
When do you want to do it?
How do you want to feel?
How do you want to grow?
Wow, that all sounds great!
But.
What about time and money?!
This is THE question.
This is THE constraint.
In the modern world, the word “sabbatical” has traditionally been most associated with academic careers — though other institutions, like companies, are increasingly starting to formally (if hesitantly) recognize or allow them.
Those are, of course, best-case scenarios under highly privileged circumstances: time off without risk of losing one’s bearings or livelihood.
A traditional format for a sabbatical is a few months or more — which requires an uncommon and magical confluence of having the time, financial resources, and optimal conditions. It is frankly a luxury that is not afforded or available to many.
And yet…
We all need space.
mental
physical
creative
space
to pause and reflect on where we are
and where we want to go.
And so…
I offer you this.
A simple one-day sabbatical that can be done anywhere you are, with everyday things.
The idea for this came from a longer sabbatical I took a few years ago. I’d waited decades to have some time and money at the same time and seized the opportunity, which was not without significant professional and financial risk.
And was one of the best things I’d ever done. I’d never, ever felt more myself than I did during that time.
I wrote a few online articles about it, presented at a professional conference about it, and over the years many people have approached me about it — people who then went on take sabbaticals of their own.
Since then, I’ve dreamed of recapturing that magic, and realized… it doesn’t have to be a rarity. It doesn’t need a perfect storm of external factors.
I can do it whenever I want.
You can do it whenever you want.
It will always look different, and it will always meet you where you are. And that’s insanely empowering.
And you? You are a teacher, a post office worker, a software developer, a mom, a filmmaker, a dad, a retiree, a college student, an entrepreneur, a Swiftie.
Whoever you are, this is for you.