Why A Day Away is Vital
A mindset shift around a day of work to pursue health (rest/quiet) and “mission reset”
There are great advantages to working in an office environment, and even as you work remote…to have days focused on tasks and near-term needs: project collaboration, creative synergy, and general human interaction and camaraderie are the name of the game. That said, once in a while I find my mind becomes distracted. I am happy to say that I love what I do, but sometimes the distraction builds to a point where my brain needs a little reminder to just shift a bit more focus from the 'do' part to the 'love' part - effectively, my 'mission perspective' needs a reset.
Also, with all of the noise…it’s super easy to get lost “working in” versus “working on” the business. For this reason, I encourage a monthly “Day Away” for team members (especially senior team members). I go so far as to make it a part of the role expectations at least once a quarter (set the goal at once/month and likely it will happen 1/quarter). A day away is a mindset - it’s a day structured with intention to pursue health (rest/quiet) and to “mission reset” - to step back and evaluate your life and the business holistically. Quite frankly, if my team is healthy - we are better for it.
I encourage my team to plan this out; not to overthink it or get stressed; and to build in some fun also. If the purpose of the day away can be accomplished on the golf course or hiking or fishing or driving the countryside…then by all means plan that out! Different than a vacation day…a day away is a a day to work on yourself - to reflect and to do some deeper work that will improve yourself, your team, and the company.
Things to keep in mind…
Be Structured. It is important to plan your day. You should really do this every day of your week, but especially on this day away to ensure you maximize this time. Block it on your calendar and make sure everyone knows so they don’t bother you as well.
Consider a day by yourself. The silence and being completely alone can actually force you deeper into your time of reflection. Definitely consider activities and a different setting, but also consider this a day away by yourself - even if in a crowd of strangers. Take your journal and allow your your thoughts to drift to self, family, team, role and company.
Where you go and what you do are KEY. I change it up but it often includes a coffeeshop by myself that I know I won’t bump into anyone; lunch alone; a massage; and long walks. Heading down to a river to fly fish and starting with exercise are also great ways to plan the day. I have also done it as an add-on day on a trip out of town. I love walking cities and exploring by myself and find this to be a great way to do my day away. A friend even suggested doing this on the back-end of a crazy trip so you return home refreshed to your family and ready to engage.
Start your day with reflection and end the day checking in with someone about what you learned and accomplished. However you do it, really take some time to reflect. I spend an hour looking at my next 20-30 years for my family and my work and I even map out things I know I have already committed to (major projects, boards, etc) so everything is on a dashboard as I reflect.
Ideas:
Ask yourself questions - add→delete→refine…what would you add to your life/work? What would you delete? what would you refine? Am I living my values? Am I living content or am I being complacent with my skills/talents?
Write out a 1-page strategy - On one side of the page, recap your key accomplishments and any gaps from the previous year/quarter/month. Include not only your big wins but also where you have fallen short. Completing this side of the page gives you a clear runway on what your strategy needs to be moving forward. On the other side of the page, list your goals and the key strategies to help you achieve them. Organize these based on the important categories of your business and life.
Do a SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat) Analysis on your life and work.
Then at the end of the day, consider checking in with a friend, trusted coworker, or therapist that can ask you questions about your time so you are able to best process this time and move forward. In fact, if you have a coach or therapist, they are a great resource for questions to ask yourself on a day away.
In the end, have fun and don’t stress! I remember in the early days thinking I was going to do SO MUCH and then beating myself up at the end of the day when I got through half of my list. You will figure out your rhythm. For example, I like to put a massage half way through the day as a way to relax and continue to think about my time of reflection from earlier in the day.
And don’t forget to share your ideas. I have learned and incorporated so much from hearing other people’s structures and would love to ask you to share your best practices with this important day of work!