Gather Around
Filed under: Social Business - Strategy & Networking
We don’t just join communities because we like a product or service or thing. We gather around people who feel what we feel, and we share passion for things that bring us some sense of pleasure or joy, or even healing. ~Chris Brogan
I’m curious. What are your passions? How do they shape your community? Your business? Your life?
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
Ready to Free Up Some Marketing Dollars?
Filed under: Small Business Owners - Running the Show
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
