November 5, 2019 • 6 mins
Set big goals, ask big questions, get back by Monday
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to make your own mini retreat. Getting
away for just a little bit with a little bit
of structure can give you the opportunity to ask important
(00:24):
questions about your life. While a long retreat might be great,
taking a mini retreat is more doable for people who
can't just go sit in a cabin somewhere for a year.
Since Thorough went to Walden Pond to contemplate life, many
of us have idealized this idea of escaping from our
usual routines to think deep thoughts. Organizations everywhere host annual
(00:47):
retreats for their leaders to ponder strategy, often at some
hotel with a view of the beach or the mountains.
That can be great, but any corporate retreat will inevitably
focus on futures within the organization and not big life
decisions which might not include the organization, and many of
us don't work for large companies. Anyway, We might crave
(01:09):
space to think about our lives, but in the bustle
of carpools and emails, this can be tough to do.
But I do think it's possible. I've taken a few
writing retreats, and I've got a Think Deep Thoughts professional
retreat on the calendar soon too. Here's how to make
these retreats fit in life, and how to optimize your
time while you're doing them. First, privileged convenience over other factors.
(01:34):
You might like to go to Malibu, but a quiet
beach an hour from your house is perhaps a better bet.
Or you might tack a few days onto a business trip.
I took one writing retreat in jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, which
is a cute mountain town about ninety minutes from my house.
I did another writing retreat in a different part of
the Poconos. When I was speaking at someone else's retreat,
(01:56):
I just showed up two days early. When you've got
a full life, you don't want to lose time to transit.
Being just an hour away can be enough to remove
you from your daily situation. Second, think short, but not
too short. I think two nights is the minimum because
it gives you at least one whole day during which
you don't need to move yourself or your stuff. Three
(02:18):
would be better, giving you two whole days with no
transit the past. This there may be a point of
diminishing returns. You want enough time to think and relax,
but not so much that it's overwhelming and you start
wasting time. Many of us do better when we have
some limits. Third, go with a specific goal in mind.
(02:41):
With both of my writing retreats, I wanted to devote
whole days with no interruptions, to editing my book. Manuscripts
were at the point where I could do that, and
I was basically happy with what I'd written, but I
wanted to experience this writing as a through reader, making
notes and then addressing what I could. You might take
a retreat with the goal of pondering your professional and
(03:03):
personal goals for the next year. Or maybe you're thinking
of switching careers and want to identify and rank what
aspects of a new career would make you happiest. Just
getting away sounds nice, but as a recipe for watching
hotel movies rather than thinking deep thoughts. Fourth, prepare Do
(03:23):
you need to read something before you go? Do you
need to ask for other people's advice? If I had
gone on my retreats with half a manuscript, they would
have been much less productive, So I needed to get
that done ahead of time. If you have a complex life,
you also need to make sure the plans are in
place for you to escape. Do you have child care,
(03:44):
do you have backup childcare? If you have a partner,
is this person on board? Ideally, because you've offered to
reciprocate at some point, block off the days and be
ruthless about keeping them blocked. Anticipate what could derail you,
and make sure there's a plan to address those derailments.
It might even help to create a backup slot for
(04:05):
your retreat should your first choice of timing not work.
If it's important, you deserve to give yourself that space.
Fifth plan to work and think, but to do other
things too. On both my retreats, I spent some time
walking around outside. I hiked in the Poconos, and I
(04:26):
visited little restaurants in jim Thorpe. Even on a retreat,
you're not going to be able to work for twelve
hours straight, so get a sense of when you'd like
to take breaks. Meals are a good option, but you
probably want something physical to give yourself a schedule of
goals for each segment by noon, I want to have
written this list by nightfall. I want to have explored
(04:49):
the upsides and downsides of each idea. And finally, don't
sabotage yourself. If you plan to think deep thoughts, put
your phone in airplane mode or hide it somewhere. Don't
get sucked into an email chain about something that will
yank you right back to your office or the politics
of your homeowners association board. By building in breaks, you
(05:13):
can nix some of this temptation, but not all of it.
That's on you. If you view your mini retreat as
a gift you are giving yourself, perhaps you can appreciate
it and honor it as a gift someone else might
give you. You wouldn't smash it right in front of
their eyes. Have you ever taken a mini retreat? I'd
(05:33):
love to hear how you pulled it off. You can
email me at Before Breakfast Podcast at iHeart media dot com.
In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and
here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,
I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
(05:55):
your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod.
That's b the number four, then Breakfast p o D.
You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
podcast at i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast
(06:16):
is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,
I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is
a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from
I heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to make your own mini retreat. Getting
away for just a little bit with a little bit
of structure can give you the opportunity to ask important
(00:24):
questions about your life. While a long retreat might be great,
taking a mini retreat is more doable for people who
can't just go sit in a cabin somewhere for a year.
Since Thorough went to Walden Pond to contemplate life, many
of us have idealized this idea of escaping from our
usual routines to think deep thoughts. Organizations everywhere host annual
(00:47):
retreats for their leaders to ponder strategy, often at some
hotel with a view of the beach or the mountains.
That can be great, but any corporate retreat will inevitably
focus on futures within the organization and not big life
decisions which might not include the organization, and many of
us don't work for large companies. Anyway, We might crave
(01:09):
space to think about our lives, but in the bustle
of carpools and emails, this can be tough to do.
But I do think it's possible. I've taken a few
writing retreats, and I've got a Think Deep Thoughts professional
retreat on the calendar soon too. Here's how to make
these retreats fit in life, and how to optimize your
time while you're doing them. First, privileged convenience over other factors.
(01:34):
You might like to go to Malibu, but a quiet
beach an hour from your house is perhaps a better bet.
Or you might tack a few days onto a business trip.
I took one writing retreat in jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, which
is a cute mountain town about ninety minutes from my house.
I did another writing retreat in a different part of
the Poconos. When I was speaking at someone else's retreat,
(01:56):
I just showed up two days early. When you've got
a full life, you don't want to lose time to transit.
Being just an hour away can be enough to remove
you from your daily situation. Second, think short, but not
too short. I think two nights is the minimum because
it gives you at least one whole day during which
you don't need to move yourself or your stuff. Three
(02:18):
would be better, giving you two whole days with no
transit the past. This there may be a point of
diminishing returns. You want enough time to think and relax,
but not so much that it's overwhelming and you start
wasting time. Many of us do better when we have
some limits. Third, go with a specific goal in mind.
(02:41):
With both of my writing retreats, I wanted to devote
whole days with no interruptions, to editing my book. Manuscripts
were at the point where I could do that, and
I was basically happy with what I'd written, but I
wanted to experience this writing as a through reader, making
notes and then addressing what I could. You might take
a retreat with the goal of pondering your professional and
(03:03):
personal goals for the next year. Or maybe you're thinking
of switching careers and want to identify and rank what
aspects of a new career would make you happiest. Just
getting away sounds nice, but as a recipe for watching
hotel movies rather than thinking deep thoughts. Fourth, prepare Do
(03:23):
you need to read something before you go? Do you
need to ask for other people's advice? If I had
gone on my retreats with half a manuscript, they would
have been much less productive, So I needed to get
that done ahead of time. If you have a complex life,
you also need to make sure the plans are in
place for you to escape. Do you have child care,
(03:44):
do you have backup childcare? If you have a partner,
is this person on board? Ideally, because you've offered to
reciprocate at some point, block off the days and be
ruthless about keeping them blocked. Anticipate what could derail you,
and make sure there's a plan to address those derailments.
It might even help to create a backup slot for
(04:05):
your retreat should your first choice of timing not work.
If it's important, you deserve to give yourself that space.
Fifth plan to work and think, but to do other
things too. On both my retreats, I spent some time
walking around outside. I hiked in the Poconos, and I
(04:26):
visited little restaurants in jim Thorpe. Even on a retreat,
you're not going to be able to work for twelve
hours straight, so get a sense of when you'd like
to take breaks. Meals are a good option, but you
probably want something physical to give yourself a schedule of
goals for each segment by noon, I want to have
written this list by nightfall. I want to have explored
(04:49):
the upsides and downsides of each idea. And finally, don't
sabotage yourself. If you plan to think deep thoughts, put
your phone in airplane mode or hide it somewhere. Don't
get sucked into an email chain about something that will
yank you right back to your office or the politics
of your homeowners association board. By building in breaks, you
(05:13):
can nix some of this temptation, but not all of it.
That's on you. If you view your mini retreat as
a gift you are giving yourself, perhaps you can appreciate
it and honor it as a gift someone else might
give you. You wouldn't smash it right in front of
their eyes. Have you ever taken a mini retreat? I'd
(05:33):
love to hear how you pulled it off. You can
email me at Before Breakfast Podcast at iHeart media dot com.
In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and
here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,
I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
(05:55):
your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod.
That's b the number four, then Breakfast p o D.
You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
podcast at i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast
(06:16):
is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,
I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is
a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from
I heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Before Breakfast News
Host
Laura Vanderkam
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