01-22-2018
What I Learned from Taking a Workcation as a Creative Entrepreneur
FILED IN: Behind-the-Scenes, M&G Happenings
Posted By: Jamie Kutchman
If you follow us on Instagram and specifically Instagram stories, you may have seen last week when I spontaneously packed my suitcase and my desktop Mac and hopped in an uber to check in at the Willard Interncontinental Hotel in DC for 4 days. My plan for the first week of the year was to take off work so I could do planning and strategy for 2018. In doing so, I quickly realized that in my house surrounded by distractions, I continued to become more and more stressed out and couldn't focus. The clock was ticking. My vacation time was running out so I had to do something and do something fast. So the Willard (fully equipped with a Red Door Spa) was destined to be just the right spot for this out-of-the-blue "workcation". This solo time away was SO transformative, I can't help but share my experience with you!
Here's what I learned...
De-Cluttered Space Matters
In a hotel room, you have the bare essentials. It's neat, clean, organized, well-decorated and guess what? I noticed how much more productive I was in an environment with LESS. It's amazing how your environment can impact your mental state so drastically. Now that I'm back home, I'm de-cluttering like a mad woman and plan to continue doing so until the house is a minimal as possible.
Peace & Quiet Matters
There was something awfully therapeutic about making my way to my hotel room, opening the door, walking in, closing the door behind me and not hearing anything from the outside whatsoever. Staying just two blocks from the White House, I could see the hustle and bustle of Washington, DC out of my window. Yet heard nothing. The Willard has over 300 rooms and was pretty full yet I heard nothing. This allowed me to really clear my head and organize my thoughts which is essential for business planning. Not to mention, I had some of the most amazing sleep of my life due to the peace and quiet!
Relaxed Body, Relaxed Brain
Part of the allure of the Willard was the in-house Red Door Spa. About a day or two into my stay, I decided to treat myself to a massage, facial and body wrap. Before the treatments started though, I showed up early and enjoyed the sauna, steam room and hung out in the relaxation room. By the time they called me to begin my treatments, I was well on my way to relaxation. Technically, my time away from home was intended for work but by rewarding myself at the same time, I was able to get even more work done. Here's why. My relaxed body led to a relaxed mind, resulting in a much higher level of creativity and productivity once I got back to the room to resume working.
Tackle the Hard Stuff
I went into this workcation with a set list of items I HAD to get done. They were the most important ones, the most time consuming, and not-so-coincidentally the ones that I'd procrastinated the longest (and probably even had on my running to-do list since this time LAST year.) Because I knew I was paying a pretty penny for the hotel room and spending time away from my family, I knew that I HAD to make this time count. My first inclination was to get caught up on emails or binge blog for the next month. But you know what, those could wait. Instead, I got down and dirty. I finalized our entire employee handbook (our first ever!), outlined all goals and initiatives for 2018 across ALL aspects of the business, and even mapped out an entire on-boarding process for our new studio assistant Carla so we could be sure to ramp her up properly. These tasks were the hard ones. The ones that required the most thought. And FAR more important than answering emails when for heavesns sake, I had my out-0f-office turned on anyway!
I got so much out of this workcation that my new goal is to eventually be able to afford them quarterly moving forward. I'm not sure what prompted me to flee my house so spontaneously that day but I'm sure glad it did! Curious...have you ever done a workcation? If so, I'd love to know the details of when, where, for how long, what you accomplished, etc. Let us know in the comments or reach out HERE. We always love hearing from you!
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