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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.

Ōtākou marae, ōtepoti/Dunedin

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.

Claire Porima Coaching.