You might have noticed I haven’t been around lately. I disappeared from twitter, haven’t commented on other blogs, and haven’t posted any of my own. I’ve been on vacation and it was nice.
I’m getting better and better about taking vacations and getting away. In the past I was a consultant or contractor and very rarely took more than a few days off at a time. If I wasn’t working, I wasn’t making money. Now that I’m with a company that actually encourages getting some time away, I find myself enjoying my vacations more and more each year.
My vacations are pretty low key – return to the high desert, spend time with friends and family, mountain bike, eat too much, etc. Others would find that a bore and instead seek out cities, cruises, casinos, and nightlife. Others still might prefer to completely get away and go camping, hiking, fishing or hunting. Or take a camera, journal, and passport and travel the world. Or…
Actually, it doesn’t really matter what you do as long as it works for you. Just as rest and recovery is an integral component of a serious athlete’s training program, I suspect that active and conscious rest and recovery is a necessary part of a successful career. Time away NOT THINKING ABOUT WORK allows us to come back refreshed and attack the issues, problems, and challenges with a new zeal and fresh perspective. It allows us to step back and approach it from a different angle. To step away from the grind, reconnect, and refocus on the parts that make our jobs worthwhile.
What recharges your batteries?
fool (with a plan) 
Welcome back Broc and good on you for disconnecting and recharging. Too many of us don’t realize that when we continue to work, work, work to get things done, we are not working as efficiently or as productively as we could be if we just gave ourselves a break!
Depending on the amount of time we have, my husband and I either head out to our little cabin in the woods (no cell service, no internet!) for a few days or if we have more time, it’s off to a destination with lots of activities, sight-seeing, theater and dining to keep us busy. In just a few short weeks, we are off to NYC. Can hardly wait!
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Cabin in the woods or NYC? Great choice to have and a nice reminder that we need different things at different times. Sometimes it’s the quiet down time and sometimes it’s seeing new things, new people, new ideas. Enjoy!
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Nice to see you back Broc! I will try and stop by and comment more later. Enjoy the rest of your day..
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Thanks, Tim. It’s good to be back. I was originally going to keep writing while on holiday, but then decided to just completely get away. It was a good decision.
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Great decision Broc! Looking forward to reading your blog once you get it going again…
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The seaside. No question about it. Salt air is the perfect re-charge, and that’s where I’ll be tomorrow evening. Cape Cod, and vacation, here I come.
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Awesome. Haven’t been to Cape Cod but my wife and I did spend some time on the coast there several years ago and really enjoyed it. Quaint and beautiful. Enjoy the recharge!
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Broc,
I took a vacation last week and “got away” both mentally and physically. It was also really nice. I completely agree that getting away from time to time is really important.
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Greg, excellent. That time is sure needed. Each year I understand the importance of it more and more.
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