15 May How switching off, switched me back on

Just as sitting around a campfire, staring into the flames can take you away to another place, another time, even another world, so too can staring into the ocean and that’s what I had the absolute pleasure of doing for 7 blissful days. I’m not bragging and I promise that I do have a point, but first, let me start at the beginning…

We go away a lot (I mean, A LOT) but I never really stop work. I always have my laptop with me and if I don’t, am on my phone. A couple of months ago, this all got too much for me. I felt like I was always on but just as a child’s toy batteries go flat when you leave them on, so were mine. I decided that I had to have a break and coincidently, or perhaps, serendipitously, my parents were soon to go away on a cruise. One impulsive credit card swipe next and my daughter and I were booked on the deck below them and had two very excited grandparents on my hands! But the most excited person? My daughter. And why? Because mummy promised that I wouldn’t work for the ENTIRE trip! I didn’t know how I was going to do it, not just logistically but also, mentally.

Over those next few weeks my team members were trained in all regular client work and given SOPs, specific instructions for individual clients and other tidbits of information. We did a dry run through of them handling things while I was still about and then came the day of embarkation. I was so nervous about leaving my biz baby but I knew it was in safe hands and really, it was only FIVE working days away. What could go wrong?!

As my phone service dropped out, I worried how I would cope for the next 7 days and do you know how many times I missed it during the trip? Not once.

The lack of electronic notifications allowed me to be hyper aware of everyone and everything else around me. Switching off allowed me to be more switched on than ever before. I was able to really listen to those around me, heck! I was able to really listen to myself! Sitting in the quiet and looking out over nothing but ocean allowed me to think, concentrate and daydream all at the same time. And all that thinking led me to various decisions which will likely become more clear in the coming months.

There is one decision that I made though that I have decided to put into immediate action – more notification free time. I already use the Do Not Disturb function on my phone but I’ve extended the hours and will be making a conscious effort to not check it as often (out of work time, I mean). Family time without the constant DING is just so much more enjoyable! So, that is my goal for the next little while, to put this new “work during work time” habit into place. The irony isn’t lost on me that this is often the same realisation that prompts my clients into hiring me which is why another immediate goal on my To Do List is to expand my team further. Stay tuned on that!

But switching off didn’t only help me enjoy time with my family more, it helped to make me a better business owner. It allowed me to step away from constantly “doing” and move into a space of planning and strategy which is what I love to do, not just for myself but for my clients. I came home from those 7 days not only physically rejuvenated but full of ideas and enthusiasm for my clients businesses. We have so much happening over the coming months and I can’t wait to get stuck into it all!