The Power of Time Off
The winter holidays provide us time off from work to celebrate our faith and enjoy our families. We relax. Okay, maybe we don’t fully relax. We relax in our freedom from work deadlines. Holiday stress — generally self-imposed — is anything but relaxing, and a subject for another time.
As we move through the remaining days of the year, media is replete with new year predictions and end of year reflections. The top 10 this and the top 10 that. I can’t even predict what I’m going to wear tomorrow, so I leave predictions of trends for others to write. I’m good at taking time off.
The Power of Time Off
I’m fortunate to own several time-share weeks on Hilton Head Island, a 5-hour drive from my home. For the price of 2 tanks of gas and some groceries, I can retreat from the daily routine of work for a week or two.
Sleep late.
Read Stephen King novels.
Sun on the beach.
In other words, a vacation.
Other trips are planned sabbaticals.
I pack mounds of unread magazines, books and business notes with the sole purpose of business planning and goal setting. Creative ideas are sparked. Plans are made. Sleeping late is the by-product of creative thinking into the wee hours of the morning. (Not terribly unlike my current routine of working in the wee hours, and yet those wee hours are project focused.)
This year, 2009, marked a strategic and focused change in the direction of my business. Time off from work was work in a different setting.
Barcamps.
Tweetups.
Meetups.
Conferences.
Valuable, yes. Relaxing, no.
Networking and learning are neither a vacation or a sabbatical.
Stefan Sagmeister closes his business for a year every seven years. He splices the learn-work-retire time line to include a retirement year for every seven work years. Watch the video below and discover the creative power he unveils.
My week-long sabbaticals to focus on implementing new strategies for business growth are booked for each quarter in 2010.
Do you take sabbaticals? How do you carve time for strategic and creative thinking? If you scheduled focused time off, how might your business change? Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments.
Stefan Sagmeister TED Video on YouTube
Photo credit: Terry Wha via Flicker
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If you are a local business owner, do yourself a favor and invest in online marketing. The more savvy you become now the more effective your efforts will be in the future.
h/t Ted Murphy
Photo Credit: funkeemunkeeland
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, Zip-a-dee-ay!
Filed under: Small Business Owners - Running the Show, Social Business - Strategy & Networking
What I like best about the new communication tools we lump together as “social media” is serendipitous connections. Earler today, I met a Tampa storyteller because a Maryland real estate agent and I were using Twitter in the same moment of time.
Nice, simple Twitter connections. Friendly Twitter chats.
A few minutes later my friend Charity Hisle, a multi-family property marketing specialist raised a question on Twitter about bloggers who don’t promote email subscriptions on their site. Charity prefers to follow her favorite bloggers using email instead of rss. In my effort to be helpful to one of her followers, I discovered a simple tool Charity might find useful. (Maybe you will too if you prefer email subscriptions over rss subscriptions.)
Then I found a powerful article by Valeria Maltoni in my blog reader. I felt compelled to share her thoughts within my social networks — business and personal. Valeria shares the social connections leading to the video clip embedded here.
Idea generation for uncovering career opportunities
More importantly — and why I felt inspired to spread the word — Valeria offered 50 ways to make limoncello when you’ve been laid off. Which reminded me of my delightful conversation with my new friend, the Tampa storyteller.
Mister Bluebird’s on my shoulder
It’s the truth, it’s actual
Ev’rything is satisfactual
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay
Wonderful feeling, wonderful day, yes sir!Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay
My, oh my, what a wonderful day
Plenty of sunshine headin’ my way
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay
Other Places We Can Connect
