Monday 6 September 2010

Need space to think…time to play?


I recently worked with a business owner who was reflecting on his family holiday and said “There came a time, towards the end of the second week when I completely let go and suddenly everything was back in perspective”. He returned to work with a clear head about priorities, filled with a fire in his belly and expecting that his business partner can experience the same on his forthcoming holiday.

Not everyone has the luxury of a holiday to step back and get a fresh perspective on their business. What about the two million businesses in the UK with no employee to share the load? Yet a short session with a coach can leave you feeling able to achieve more with less time and effort. As a coach, I work with small business owners as well as corporate execs to find clarity and motivation, especially at times when taking a holiday isn’t feasible. If you could benefit from some space to think then contact me for a coaching session.

Holidays provide more than a break, they allow real playtime for us grown ups as well as the kids. Yet why should playtime we something we regularly miss out on? Here’s a thought to check the quality of your working life. ‘Am I getting enough playtime?’ When you look in your diary and identify the breaks, ask yourself: ‘Where is the real fun here?’ How much time out do you get that is not task-focused? Are you happy with what you see in your schedule? Have the hours devoted to work crept up on you or become so intense that there is no downtime?


Block your playtime in your diary and keep it sacred: just like it was at school. Start with 15 minutes a day, twice a day, every day at a time that fits your schedule.

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