The Power of Time Off

Filed under: Small Business Owners - Running the Show 

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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Comments

  • Hi! I can see it now. Maybe it was because I was on BTRadio AND making a YouTube video!!?? ;-) Thanks for asking.

    Oh yes, I too plan to 'work' from a local coffee shop every now and then just to be in a different spot. I get that! And thank you re my photos... very much.
  • I can't see the video (I'm on a Mac... does that matter here?). Anyway, I absolutely LOVE my 'work' and the creativity involved, and do not like taking 'time off' for any extended periods. I haven't always been this way, but I've never loved my 'work' so much with the exception of my years on the road with horses. Each day is so exciting and happy for me that I do not dream of getting away. My pleasure is learning from people at different RE and SM venues .. mostly SM venues as most RE events (State and National) are behind the times IMHO. RETS is the exception in the RE venue department!! I do time on the treadmill and go out every day to take pictures. I would add Yoga to the mix but am watching my pennies.
  • Susie, do I need to edit the YouTube link to be visible on a Mac? Your photos exhibit some powerful ju ju which I greatly admire! I don't take time off either, but some days I need to work in a different place just to get focused.
  • shannonevans
    Since I work from home often certain family members often imply that I am on perpetual vacation. Somehow the pull of the desk is almost 24/7 when I am on a project.
    I wish that I could figure out how to be a prosperous as Stefan so I can do this! With the help of social media and my next two books, who knows? I do think that we need to get away to work sometimes as well as get away to rest. My best thinking comes from walking on the beach and watching the sunset.
  • Ahh, the power of beaches and sunsets in all their awesomeness... The sound of the waves washes my brain of junk, relaxes me and gives rise to creative thinking.
  • Kathy, your topic today is most appropriate and timely. Here at the end of the year, I had some sense that I should be pausing to reflect…but can’t seem to get my work to a place where it will survive for a time without my attention! Your post and your vow to take a week each quarter, along with this incredible clip have inspired me. In our “what lies ahead in 2010” meeting next week, I intend to introduce the word sabbatical to see what we might make of it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and rewards from your “vacation” with us!
  • James, I highly recommend a quarterly get-away to work 'on' your business instead of 'in' your business. My team knows I come back energized with new ideas!
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