Why you should take Yourself on a Work Retreat (and how)
I’ve been taking myself on work retreats for years now and it is one of the best activities I have implemented for my business. Here’s why:
It changes your environment and usual routines and gets you into a different and creative headspace.
It’s concentrated and dedicated time that you are taking out for your business. As a business owner, it can be so difficult to actually get solid chunks of time to work on your ideas. Spoiler alert: Your ideas deserve it.
If you want to move your ideas and business forward, you need to take time out for them. There’s no working around that.
If you’re anything like me, you have to spend the money to make yourself do it. I can say I am going to work on my ideas daily, weekly, etc. More often than not my time and energy gets pulled in other directions, though.
I don’t think we take enough time to reflect and celebrate our accomplishments and retreats are a great way to show that to ourselves.
It’s my 6th go at it so I’ve worked out a pretty good system. If you want to set up your own work retreat, here is a good formula to follow. Of course, take liberties and make it your own!
Tips:
Book at least 2 nights, possibly 3 if you are working with a team or it’s your first retreat.
Find a space that inspires you. Think about the type of retreat you want to have: Do you like a lot of space to move around in and switch environments? Do you want to be in an urban setting close to amenities, or would you prefer to be out in nature?
Allow yourself a budget for food to order in. Plan snacks and some easy meals that you can grab from the fridge. You don’t want food to be a big worry as it can eat up a lot of time trying to prepare it!
Pack special treats for yourself — it’s a reTREAT after all.
Work in breaks throughout and make sure you get outside to get a refresh and movement in your body.
Set yourself up a structure to follow but be flexible with creativity & flow (I’ll share mine below).
Pack everything you think you might need & especially items that inspire you (I’ll share mine below).
DO NOT allow yourself to bring in any client work into the retreat. Set an autoresponder on your email and let clients know you will be out of your inbox entirely. It’s okay and important to take time out for your business, too.
Pack List Ideas:
Pens, highlighters, markers, post-its, etc.
A fresh notebook — nothing says planning like a fresh notebook!
Computer for moving pen and paper to online plans
Stuff for vision boarding / creative time
Candles & lighter
Your favourite crystals
Bevvies (juice, kombucha, wine, sparkling water, tea)
Face masks and lavish bath stuff for wind-downs!
Speaker system if the hotel / Airbnb doesn’t have
iPad / book, depending if you’re a reader or a TV watcher
Comfy clothes & lots of them!
Loose Structure to Follow:
Day 1 | Review & Dreaming
Friday evening check-in and space set-up. Get everything set up just how you want before you start to dive in!
Do a review of the past year and reflect on how things went. Where you exceeded, where you could have improved, etc.
Then move into what you’re most excited for this coming year. Set an intention and your big goals for the year (try to stick to 2 - 4 max). Then start to break your goals down into smaller goals for how you are going to reach that big goal. Could be by month, quarter, week, etc. Whatever structure works best for you.
End the night by relaxing and watching a show or reading while eating treats, or have a bath and a glass of wine!
Day 2 | Goal Setting & Implementation
Start the day off early to make the most of it. Wake up and do yoga or meditate or dance — get your body moving!
Have coffee and breakfast and start with an inspiring activity. Set goals or do a visioning journalling exercise. I recommend keeping your phone on airplane mode for the entire morning if you can.
Start really breaking down your goals into specific dates, numbers, lists of what you actually need to do in order to accomplish it. Have a list for each goal so that you can stay organized.
Take a break and go for a walk outside or do yoga if you didn’t already that morning.
Come back and do another series of refining your goals and to-do lists. Identify where you want to start so you can dig in that afternoon and actually start working on some stuff!
Lunch break! Have a nutritious lunch and do some stretching or dancing or another walk.
I like to implement in the afternoon. Once I’ve got my refined list of to-dos, I choose one or two items to actually start diving into. I’d say choose one easy one that you could knock off quickly, and then one that seems a bit more daunting but will be great to get a start on.
When implementing, it really is more of a free flow of your creativity. Allow yourself to get immersed, but listen to when your body needs a break. Get outside again for a refresh at any point your body tells you it needs a break, or anywhere you get stuck and could use a fresh perspective.
Before packing it in for Day 2, write out a clear list of what you want to accomplish tomorrow morning based on where you got to at the end of the day. Remember that you only have a half-day left so don’t get too ambitious here! Keep it simple.
I usually like to wrap up Day 2 by ordering in a nice, indulgent supper. While retreats can be invigorating, you need time to recharge and unplug. Plan some time in the evening with a friend or your partner to make sure you take a step away. It can also be really great to share what you’ve been working on with them to solidify it even further.
End the night by relaxing and watching a show or reading while eating treats, or have a bath and a glass of wine!
Day 3 | Wrap-up & Game Plan
Start your day off similar to Day 2 by getting up early and moving your body. Get that energy flowing for your final day!
Take a moment to enjoy your coffee & breakfast that morning and really savour the experience. Celebrate and thank yourself for treating yourself & taking some serious time out for your business!
Start doing your wrap-up. Tie up any last loose-ends from yesterday. I usually find that I didn’t get everything implemented that I had hoped, but I am in the zone and ideas are flowing. I love to write down in very specific detail my ideas & plans in order to finish executing in the coming months. You’ll be surprised at how much you forget once you’re out of the retreat energy you’ve created so make sure to document your ideas well.
Write out a clear game plan on when you would love to have each of these tasks completed in order for it to come to full fruition. Be realistic with yourself here. Re-visit the goals and timelines you mapped out on Day 2 and see if anything needs to be adjusted now that you have more pieces of the puzzle in place.
Before packing up, take some time to enjoy & appreciate the space — take photos or videos to document so you can look back and remember the beautiful energy and space you created for yourself there.
Mindfully pack up, and clear the space out. Perhaps bring a room spray or your favourite material used to clear spaces. You created a lot of energy here and want the space to be clear for the next guest.
I find that after I arrive back home, I feel refreshed, but also reality sets in and I’m out of my retreat bubble. Try to allow yourself a slow rest of your day to stay in the energy as long as possible. Don’t just go back into old habits & routines. Take some time to unplug and integrate for the rest of the day.
As always, this is YOUR retreat. Use whatever framework, tools & materials feel good to you. You’ll be so surprised by how much you can accomplish in a few days, and also how amazing it feels to treat yourself and your business to this much-deserved experience. You are worthy of a yearly business retreat — or two! So start planning & dreaming up your next retreat! I know I am ;)
