Ready for a mini break? Here’s your mini-break planner for 2017.
2 February, 2017
February snuck up super fast, and here I am already planning my next mini-break.
Summer in most parts of the country kept many of us indoors, and so now, I’m looking forward to some mini-breaks during February and March when the sun shines.
Happily, there is one coming right up: it is Waitangi* weekend here in Aotearoa New Zealand, and I will be meeting friends and whānau/family, for fun, food and festivities at one of our local marae.
If you want to build in some mini-breaks and downtime in 2017 (and this is a necessity not an option!), here’s a great tip to help you with that:
Every year there are four 5-week months.
Who knew? And what’s so special about them?
Take a look at this 2017 calendar I drafted up for you, that shows which of the months have 5 weeks in them (give or take a day either side).
=>> You can download a copy of Claire’s 5-Week-Months’ Calendar here <<=
The reason I want you to have this, is because when we lead such full lives, this planning resource is a simple and effective way of breaking up the year and scheduling that much needed time out.
The added advantage of the 5-Week Months’ calendar is that you can go gang-busters with your work in weeks 1-4, knowing that when that 5th week comes around, you can change tack, slow down, do something different. Something different might be:
- Block out meetings or client appointments to give yourself time to think, recharge, relaunch
- Diarise a team outing, a strategy planning session, or some personal & professional development courses
- Use the block-out time to :
- write articles, emails, new product design -> be creative
- if you are already a creative -> get organised: your desk, inbox, correspondence, tax etc
- set up a series of communications with your clients, contacts, networks, mentor, coach
- plan, design, brief, complete your next marketing campaign
- kick start a new interest, plan, strategy
- have coffee with a key influencer, a team member, your mum/son/daughter…
- go to a public talk; give a talk
- Go on a mini break
You decide your own priorities for using the 5th week.
What these mini-break weeks give you – aside from planned annual or public holidays – is a chance to take a breather in your business or personal life to refocus, reboot, energise yourself. It’s a pause. A comma. A necessary time out.
Let me know what you do with your 5th weeks in 2017, and I’ll also post what I get up to onto my Facebook page.
Enjoy this long weekend if you are in NZ. Holiday tip: check out your local marae, as they may be hosting a whānau/family & community day, which is always fun.
=>> Don’t forget to download a copy of Claire’s 5-Week-Months’ Calendar <<=
mā te rangimārie ~ in peace xx
*Waitangi Day on 6 February is a public holiday and a commemoration of the signing in 1840 of the founding document between Māori, and the Crown representing immigrant British settlers. You can read more here.