Life & Career Crafting 101; Taking Time to Think
Time for Ourselves — An Easy Investment in Health & Career
Image by Hannah Olinger from Unsplash
What if we chose an afternoon or a day to push pause, change pace, and survey the landscape and our place in it?
Life is fast.
Life is complex.
People become wound up in drama and the demands of their day. There are always to-dos, messages and deadlines waiting for us. To recharge, we turn to Netflix, scrolling, and distraction. We also scroll to avoid challenges. What might we do instead? What positive steps can we take to tame our lists, gain control of our time, rest and realign?
One idea for creating time and space is to schedule a simple, low or no-cost Personal Retreat. Retreats can be multiple-day events in pricey locations, but they need not be. Blocking off a day or afternoon to spend undistracted time with yourself is the only absolute that is required. Specifics are up to you. The point of scheduling time to think is to create the opportunity to address our situation, dreams, present and future.
The Benefits of Planned Thinking Time
How to Retreat: Look for a quiet environment in which you don’t typically find yourself. You might choose a room in your public library, a study space in a coffee shop, or the borrowed office of a friend. It’s important that you carve out time in a setting that you would not typically visit or use for work.
When we allocate time and space to think, we are investing in ourselves. Drawing upon where we’ve been, how we’re doing, what we’ll pursue and who we seek to be carries enormous benefit. Time to declutter, course-correct, and engage with vision and what matters most should not be considered a luxury. Quiet thinking space and time is a must-do if we are to lead ourselves and flourish.
Retreat Specifics: Ready to invest in your career, family, and deeper self? If so, do this:
Make an appointment to meet with yourself bi-annually.
Arrange for a quiet space you don’t typically frequent.
Block off a half-day to show up in a pre-arranged space to brainstorm and think.
Plan the flow of your day, with time for reflection and for big-picture thinking .
Focus on values, how you want your story to go, and the steps to get there.
Pack a bag with paperwork, books, a notebook and favorite pen.
Consider each component of your life. Health, Family, Fitness, Career, Money, Travel.
Ask what’s going right? What changes are due? What immediate steps will you take?
During Retreat you can do as little or as much as you like.
The important thing is to take time & be honest with yourself.
Reflection time and big-picture thinking time are great components of a Personal Retreat.
A few words regarding both:
REFLECTION: For some, reflection is natural and easy. For others, it’s uncomfortable and challenging. Whether reflection is easy or uncomfortable for you, it is an important, healthy practice. Reflection is a muscle to use and strengthen. Personal reflection helps us learn from mistakes, helps us see others in new light, and makes us happier.
BIG-PICTURE THINKING: We often don’t see things with clarity until we take the time to contemplate from a distance. When we reconnect to our true priorities, and to what is and is not working for us, we begin to see patterns and gaps between our stated values and our actions. Big-picture thinking is about creating a vivid image of our future.
Image by Catalin Pop from Unsplash
Invest in You
When we step away from daily demands and daily routine to reflect and be, great health, family, friendship, career, and self-actualization benefits can be ours. Creating space and time to engage in deep thought is a winning investment both in ourselves, and beyond ourselves. Stepping away from the busyness of our days is an investment in positive changes in our mindset, priorities, habits, fitness, our relationship to money, family dynamics, and career.
Taking stock of vision, wants, and goals is freeing, is and in many cases, is necessary. Retreats offer a perfect setting where we can be honest with ourselves as to whether or not our habits and use of time are aligned with who and what we aspire to be. If your daily grind has become familiar, if you’re feeling overwhelm, boredom, or disconnect, look inward. Invest in yourself by making / taking regular recurring time to think.