For a few months now, I’ve felt the pull of needing a work-cation.  Although I work from home, I find that getting solid chunks of time to work can be tough. I’ll book time to work and then say yes to client appointments, team calls, answering messages, video messaging team groups. I’m also trying to work on the important stuff, which is what I end up letting slide. 
Don’t even get me started on dogs needing attention, laundry, dishes, food and meal prep, vacuuming, and all of the everyday things that call to me from my home office.

You know how it is

. 

You take a pee break and notice that the closet needs straightening.  30 minutes later the stepstool is out, there’s a bin for the thrift shop, a garbage can, and a bucket to clean the shelves. Before you know it, you’ve ‘wasted’ an hour. Or is that just me?

I’ve been fantasizing about locking myself into a hotel room to do some planning and really digging in to my deep work.  Twice, I went to book it and chickened out.  I started thinking about all of the other things that Pete and I could both enjoy with that money and felt like I was being selfish and unrealistic.  I felt that I ‘should’ be able to get the stuff done from home, so I made a deal with myself that I’d leave the weekend free so that I could dive in and get the work done here.  

In typical fashion, I ended up booking myself with appointments for the day I was to leave but the other 2 days remained open on my calendar.  

While walking Berkley and Tucker on Friday morning, I know no other way to say it than that I was OVERCOME with the need to do this.  So, I did what any prominent business woman would do.  I asked for a sign from the Universe.  Not just any sign.  It had to be a crystal clear, flashing neon light of a sign saying “YOU SHOULD CHECK INTO A HOTEL ROOM AND WORK.” 

You won’t believe what happened next.  When I logged in to check my email, there was a message from hotels.com saying I’d earned 3 free nights.  HELLO……….

Now THAT’s a sign I can work with.

I texted my husband to be sure obligations were clear at home, went to hotels.com, booked my room, went to my next two appointments, and was in my car 2 hours later, packed.  The only thing I forgot was a phone charger and shampoo.  Not too shabby. I don’t think I’ve ever packed for an overnight in less than a week before! 

I checked into the hotel by 4:30pm. It was the perfect room with a small couch and an armchair by the fire.  There was a desk in the room, although I didn’t use it except to house my diffuser and computer cords.  

I went for supper right away as I had skipped lunch in my haste to get out of town.  The hotel restaurant offered 5-6 vegetarian options.  If I could get past the taxidermy on the walls, this would be a great stay!!!

I had one team video call booked for 7pm and then the next 2 days were all mine. 

The time worked out differently than I thought it would.  I really thought I’d be focused on the nitty gritty, black and white stuff like setting up my schedule, creating a content calendar, scheduling posts, planning out my quarter, that sort of thing. 

The Universe had other plans.

In a check of my business page messages, I saw that a team member had sent me a 2019 year in review process to follow (we’d spoken of this process within our team the day before) and it called to me so I started there.  I had been going through my memory for all 12 months, creating a timeline of 2019 but this was GOLD.  You can read the article here.

I dove in answering the questions and it became my jumping off point for the weekend.  

After a full day, Tosha Silver’s ‘Change me Prayers’ lulled me to sleep on audio. 

Awakening on Saturday morning, it occurred to me that I had forgotten my phone charger so I’d have to go out and purchase one.  

I had some team messages waiting for me, yet they had no pull on my time.  Sorry guys. 

This was a new feeling for me.

  Normally, I’d feel the need to answer right away and often be pulled into an hour long or all day back and forth discussion.  I simply explained that I’d answer when I could. 

I ate breakfast and wrote a dozen or so social media posts before heading downtown Kingston.  It was a beautiful, mild, winter day, a balmy 5 degrees celsius with the sun shining brightly. 

I walked and visited the little downtown shops for 2 hours, finding some real gems for an upcoming photo shoot with Elenora Luberto , some really cool things for my soon to be born granddaughter, a phone charger, and lunch. 

My last stop was Chapters as I’d been unable to find the Tosha Silver book I wanted in the downtown shops and I planned to use it as a workbook of sorts on this trip.  

Back at the hotel, I grabbed a drink at the bar to take back to my room and settled in.   I worked, writing and scheduling Facebook posts for about 5 hours.  

Taking my supper break, I was disappointed that I had to sit at the bar (an introverts worst nightmare) as they were so busy.  Nonetheless, I allowed myself to savour an after dinner drink, quietly observing the goings on around me, before heading back to my room.

Late evening allowed for more ‘deep work.’

I dove back into my 2019 year in review.  I sat with it a while, went through some mindfulness exercises, and then boldly scribbled 2020 – What do I want for the year ahead?  across the top of a page and began to write. 

Turns out, it’s less than you’d think, considering that I have an entire year ahead of me.  There are 9 things in total. The order of them surprised me yet I know that they flowed from my highest self.  The words came easily and quickly and when I got to the end, I knew it was finished; kind of like an orgasm that completely fulfills and exhausts you at the same time. 

I drew my bath, said a prayer of gratitude, and closed my evening reading a few chapters of Dan Millman’s ‘The Hidden School’ (sequel to Way of the Peaceful Warrior)
As I was drifting off to sleep, the women’s curling team that I was sharing the floor with returned, drunk. 

Sunday morning I lingered in my bed with my gratitude practice, got up and poured a coffee, and began to write.  After a bit, I showered and went down to grab breakfast.  Good morning curling team!!

Taking breakfast to my room, I had about 3 hours to work before my late check out time.  

Newsletters. I had been putting this off as I find it really hard to come up with ideas ahead of time, yet I loathe writing them the night before they go out even more.  I wrote 8 newsletters with a schedule of blog posts to correspond with them, in just 2 hours and felt the biggest sense of relief I’d felt in my business in a long, long time. 

Before packing up, I sat for a bit and made a list of what is left to do.  I’m not gonna lie.  I could check myself in again for 6 days and not make a dent in it but that’s ok.  

Getting into my car I felt different somehow.

  I had done some deep work to close out the year and the decade that had passed and put some real thought and intention into the year ahead.  

That moment, I promised myself to start each day by centering myself in thought, reading and/or writing with my morning coffee instead of jumping into the online world. 

I feel ready to dig deeper into 2020 and what it has in store for me.  

This trip was a gift and one that I will repeat as often as I can.