Plan, Delegate, DEPART

Seems like there's never a "good time" to go on vacation, right? 

The end of the year is full of holidays, and the summer is full of tourists. 

The spring might be your "busy season" and the fall can have unpredictable weather. 

There's always a reason (not to mention COVID) that it's a little inconvenient to be gone for any length of time. 

"A long weekend is good enough," we tell ourselves. 

"I'll just have a staycation," we say. 

And those are good. 

But when my kids were little and I was seriously burned out from working long hours and trying to do too much, I decided to make a change. 

I decided that each year I would take at least 3 weeks off. (I know- it's luxurious and special. I am thankful that I have my own business and can make those trade-offs.)

Further, I decided to go somewhere with little to no cell service, where I would be forced to slow down and unplug. 

This was a life-changing decision!

• 3 weeks in the mountains. 
• 3 weeks off the grid. 
• 3 weeks to breathe, and rest, and let my mind wander. 

It's been a game changer. 

Now, as I prepare to take my first big trip in almost 2 years, it feels long overdue and I'm struck by the GOOD THINGS that happen when you PLAN, DELEGATE and DEPART!

1) PLAN

Planning a long trip without predictable cell service means that you need to wrap up loose ends.  

For me, it means getting through that endless stack of non-urgent papers that piles up in my office. 

It means combing through my notebooks for outstanding "to-dos" and deciding over and over again, "does this really need to be done?" 

By the time I'm ready to walk out the door, I'm leaving a pretty clean slate.

• Not that important? Dump it!
• Needs to be done by me? Do it!
• Needs to be done but someone else can do it? Delegate! 

2) DELEGATE

If I'm going to be gone, someone else needs to be in charge. 

As a person who has a hard time asking for help, this is a VERY GOOD PRACTICE!

I have extremely competent people around me, and sometimes I don't hand off enough responsibility. 

If you are going to truly check out, you need to invite people into the inner circle and hand them the reigns. 

(I highly recommend it for any of you other "controllers" out there who like to keep everything close to the vest.)

• Will mistakes happen? Sometimes. 
• Will things get dropped? Sometimes. 
• Will it really matter in the long run? Mostly not. 

When you take the time to delegate well, and then you unplug, you find that a lot of the little things aren't as crucial as you thought. 

I like to say to myself, "No, the universe does not revolve around me, and that's just fine!"

3) DEPART!

By the time you read this, I'll be in the southern hemisphere, hiking in the Andes. It's a lifelong dream!

I've got a journal packed and a good fiction novel, and it's time to let my mind unwind. 

To depart, is to surround myself with space and time.

When I depart, I become FAR more creative, and I'm able to make connections that end up being my "next big thing."

Even though it's hard to plan, I now know that it is truly necessary for me to contribute at my highest level. 

So- off I go!

I hope I have inspired you to do the same.