The Art of Renewal

A few years ago I read something interesting about vacations.

It said that the more vacations you take, the more money you make. If you think about that, it's a pretty nice idea (if in fact it's true).

This year I decided to believe it and scheduled five vacations. (Let me tell you, my wife was all for it!)

We have just completed our Christmas and New Year's vacation and I have a few insights to share.

Other than checking email a few times and writing the eZine last week, I didn't do any work. No writing, planning, meetings and most importantly, no spending hours at my computer.

We spent time with our family and friends. I read seven books in the "No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" series (amazing books, highly recommended for any self-employed person). We attended the best New Year's party of our lives (without getting drunk). We slept late a whole lot. We went to a few movies.

In the past, I admit, I've had a hard time with vacations. I found it difficult to turn off my "working hard mindset." I didn't feel I was getting my full vacation value unless I was doing something productive.

Many self-employed people are like that. I know a number of these people who haven't had a real vacation in many years (if ever). They don't know how to let go and renew themselves.

Well, I'm getting the hang of it at last, so here are those insights:

1. If you go on a vacation, you won't get as behind as you think; you pick up where you left off. Who says you have to be insanely productive all the time?

2. We probably waste more time procrastinating in a year than the time we "lose" on a vacation. For most of us, real productivity is an illusion; better to focus on true priorities and stop sweating the small stuff.

3. A vacation is a mini version of retirement. Many of us look forward to retirement, but probably wouldn't know what to do with ourselves when we reached it. Why wait? Get some practice with your vacations!

4. Ever notice how you get great ideas in the shower? That's a mini vacation. We are relaxed and our minds are open. On this vacation I got some great ideas for my business in the coming year (without any effort).

5. Ultimately, a vacation is a state of mind, a state of being. It's not somewhere you go (although it's great if you do). It's a place where you have time for true appreciation (def: the recognition and enjoyment of the good qualities of someone or something, gratitude for something).

You know your vacation has worked if you feel renewed and ready to take on the next adventure in your life. Last week I told you what I had planned for 2008. I sincerely hope you were renewed by your Holiday vacation and are ready for the very best year in your business.

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The More Clients Bottom Line: Vacations are about renewal and appreciation. Take a few each year and I predict that your business will do better than ever.

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What's your favorite type of vacation (that really renews you)? Please share on the More Clients Blog.

Comments

[Rachel Green]

Yes! vacations are vital.

I think that people don't take enough because they don't plan ahead for them. They just think that time will become available somehow, and then they find their diary is full of other things.

What I do on the first day back at work from a vacation is to put the next round of vacations in my diary - then fit the work around these rather than the other way around.

When I do this and bookings come in it is easy for me to say "I'm sorry I already have an engagement then". I don't tell my clients I'm on holiday!

[John Maver]

Robert

Good thoughts. Actually excellent thoughts! They echo the ideas of Stephen Covey about Sharpening the Saw.

When I started in business 36 years ago, we worked hard and then relaxed. There were no laptops, cell phones or other great technological “helpers” to interfere with the vacation. We used up all of our hard earned two weeks of vacation and needed all of it to actually relax and come back refreshed.

Now we have all of the communication devices at our finger tips. Too bad.

The key now is to use them in the relaxation mode. I use my laptop to find new ideas to use in my articles on my website www.mavermanagement.com Once the pressures ease the ideas can be seen so much more clearly.

Enjoy the fruits of yours and my vacations.

Regards

John

[Account Deleted]

I just took 2 vacations, and I was quite frightened about doing so - leaving the business in the hands of my new (and first) employee, and about losing any work that might come up in that time.

The first vacation was Bali, and I brought no laptop and we had no WiFi for my iPhone and I stayed out of internet cafes until the last day when we were hanging out in Taipei. And it was very relaxing.

The second was in Japan and I brought a laptop, mostly to be able to make connections with people to visit and to find out train schedules, locations, restaurants, maps, and the like. But that meant I could hear from clients and employees and at least one day I had a hard time getting my head back to Japan, ruminating over small details and communications that I couldn't really process for another 10 days. That was my own limitation.

I'm just back yesterday and so am trying to settle in and don't want to think about any more vacations just yet, but want to unleash the pent-up energy and of course all the stories and insights and photos that feed into my work so strongly.

[Shel Horowitz]

Robert, I usually take 5-6 weeks of vacation per year (not all at once) and I try to have at least one of those overseas.

Because I do some sideline travel writing, I can never be *completely* off--but I come close. I have my Virtual Assistant check my e-mail and forward the few things that can't wait to a private address that I can check via webmail, from anywhere. And I don't mind doing a media interview or something like that, from the road.

Yes, it's revitalizing. Getting away from the day to day grind is refreshing. Do I m,iss an occasional client project? Yes, but there are always enough that wait.

And I do find that it clears my head and I do a lot of reading and writing on vacation. I even wrote the first 10,000 words of my award-winning sixth book, Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First--on the deck of a cruise ship! It's too hard to make time to write a book when I'm juggling clients, etc.

I show the world the value in your values! Shel Horowitz, award-wining author,
Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First, http://www.principledprofit.com
Founder of the Business Ethics Pledge, http://www.business-ethics-pledge.org

[Dory Willer]

I plan and take vacation once a quarter to replinish my energy for the work I do - and it takes a lot of my energy coaching executives and their teams to help them create the thriving success they intend. My favorite vacation though is the "sacred one" that my husband and I protect with all our might. Our annual marital renewal retreat occurs Christmas evening through New Year's eve every year. We rent a small home just for the two of us - somewhere that feeds our senses for natural beauty to access a feeling of peace. For the past decade, we've been using this vacation/retreat to create our Best Year Yet plan (www.bestyearyet.com) and love the time to reflect on the past year and plan together the new year. It's refreshing, exhilerating, and we're ready to launch the new year with great focus together. Our adult children and friends are eager to hear our new year plan that gets framed and displayed when we return home. Though this may sound like a sales pitch, and I am a licensed BYY Coach, it's really an expression about what works for me/us for renewing our marriage and selves individually and walking the talk as a professional is precious and effective to me.

[Gretchen Roberts]

Great post. I'm finally learning the art of taking time off and allowing myself to just be, and then during the hours I do work, really working hard and focusing to get a lot done. It's much nicer than always being "on" but never really there in body and spirit.

I just got back from two weeks off with my kids, and it was nice. But it's also nice to be back.

[Judy Murdoch]

I live in Denver, Colorado. About 40 minutes from really being in the Rocky Mountains.

Favorite getaways:

1. Driving west on I-70 from my home. It's mind-blowing to watch as the mountains get nearer and go from being foothills to snow capped peaks. Growing up in Chicago, where everything is flat, the mountains are still a treat for me.

2. Renting a small cabin in a relatively isolated place. Spending the days hiking, reading, and sleeping late. 2-3 days of this is a tonic. And, I go by myself or with just my husband.

3. Reading a really engaging novel. Just finished reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Price for the second time. Pure fun and fantasy, nice place to escape to for an hour or so.

4. I take Fridays off. I do totally non-brainer things in the morning and sleep all afternoon. Helps me keep from being overwhelmed by events earlier in the week.

Just writing this made me feel so happy.

Great topic, Robert.

Warmly
Judy Murdoch
Highly Contagious Marketing

[David Van Knapp]

When I was working in the corporate world, my wife and I took several vacations a year...a couple of major ones and several long weekends. Now that we're retired/self-employed, we follow a similar pattern. Echoing a comment by another poster, I have never had trouble unwinding and forgetting about work.

That said, I take my PC with me on vacations. As a writer, I find it pleasurable to sit down for an hour or two from time to time and let it flow. I don't do this because I have to, but because I want to. If it's not flowing, I don't do it that day. Some of my most creative ideas were hatched while on vacation...probably because the mind is freed up from day-to-day concerns.

I agree with another poster about setting aside money for vacations. We've done this for years. You know the old adage, "Pay yourself first." Usually this refers to setting aside savings. But it can apply to anything you want. Since we want vacations, we set aside money for them...actually write it down. That money is reserved for vacations, no other purpose. Works for us.

[Cheryl Lohner]

My favorite vacations always center around being taken care of. As a service professional I live to serve others. Having someone return the favor is true pleasure indeed. Thanks for setting the tone for 2008 Robert.

[Lisa Claudia Briggs]

I have no problem unwinding on vacation- give me a quiet beach and some tropical-blue water and I happily forget work. I think I need more focus on actually putting money aside for more vacation- it's really not a luxury, but a necessity, in spite of reentry "shock" when one returns home.

We tend to fund vacations after everything else, and I am wanting to rethink that, quickly if possible! We have had an early and snowy winter and I am craving sunshine and greenery and bare feet.

I always get my best ideas in the shower- find myself frantically rushing to my computer before fully dry to get them onto the "list" before they
vaporize.

Anyways- thanks for the gentle push. May see you in Boston in June
Happy New Year to all-
xox
Lisa

[Sherrie]

I'm not in position yet to take those 5 vacations a year, but I'm working on it. In the meantime, I practice the state of mind you mention in #5 - I keep a gratitude journal. Each morning I make a list of things, people, and opportunities for which I am grateful. And I make it a practice to tell at least one person a day what I appreciate about them.

[Duncan Brodie]

Robert

Great insights and as you say we all understimate the value of recharging.

I aim for 5 weeks vacation a year, exactly the same as I had when I was employed. I try to get to a remote location where the pace is slower (somewhere like a Scottish island) and it is easy to slow down.

[Geoff]

Robert is absolutely correct - I used to consider a long weekend a vacation. Now I aim to work 9 months of the year with 3 breaks of 4 weeks - My income hasn't suffered at all and my wife loves the stamps in her passport. From 2008 that's going out to 4 breaks a year and 8 months of work. Time it right and you won't even have too much to catch up on. I give myself 2 hours a day when on vacation to spend on priority emails etc and most days use less than 1/2 that!