I was in Orlando last week for a conference.
It was a last-minute decision to head south. And I didn’t actually attend the conference. I really went to see some SoloPR PRO friends and colleagues who were at the conference. To hang out. To network. And to get energized by being around other smart entrepreneurs who are walking the walk.
I had a great time.
There’s a downside to last minute.
Work.
As in clients, and deadlines, and commitments. Things I’d promised to do or had to do in the course of running a business. So while everyone else was in conference sessions, I was in my hotel room getting work done.
Technology is your friend.
In the age before wifi and affordable laptops (let alone tablets and smartphones), a client once shipped me a big, clunky laptop in Sarasota, Florida, so that I could work on a project for her. And then I had to ship the laptop back so her team could print out the document. Yeah, it seems very weird today.
We take it for granted that we are hyper-connected. That I can take a conference call from my own phone when I’m 1,000 miles from home. That I can respond to emails, multitask projects, and text friends to arrange where to meet up for drinks.
I like being connected–and I love my “job.” But sometimes I need a mental break. That’s when I usually go to the gym for a workout or outside for a run.
Or, in Orlando, carve out pool time.
Find your lazy river.
There was an 850-foot “lazy river” at my hotel, with a slow current that carried people and inner tubes (and people on inner tubes) slowly around while reggae music played in the background.
I spent 30 minutes floating.
Before I took a break, I was struggling to write a blog post for a client. I had no idea what to do with it. Everything I tried didn’t work. But then I floated, and thought about what to say, and floated some more. And came back to my computer and the post just flowed out.
There’s an upside to downtime. Which is a note to self–but probably to you too.
Where’s your lazy river?
Wifi by Woodley Wonderworks (Flickr).
