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Tips and stories to add value to you and your organisation

Take A Micro Holiday!

11 August 2014

It’s so tempting to keep working and to think of a holiday in terms of two weeks away, or a long weekend. However, we can think small and then think a bit smaller.

We can think our way down to a tiny time space and enter the realm of the micro holiday.

The micro holiday comes in three basic sizes and you’re welcome to design your own and have fun exploring how far you can push the boundaries.

The classic micro holidays for the busy, stressed worker are:

1) 15 Minutes of Mindfulness. Stop working and sit comfortably, set your phone alarm to nudge you after quarter of an hour and then close your eyes. Focus on what you can hear and then let your mind drift and escape your world. Enjoy.

2) 60 Minutes of Creativity. Take a full lunch hour and instead of munching a cheese sandwich at your desk, find a new space to be in and take with you a pencil and paper. Creativity gives us a good break from the turmoil of our work and we can sketch, doodle, shade shapes or create geometric patterns for fun.

3) 120 Minutes of Exploration. With a super long lunch break, or a later start, or an early finish we have time to go and do something. Perhaps we can take a walk in the woods, stroll along the beach, visit a museum, indulge in a treasured leisure activity, or go for a drive and explore somewhere new.

I’ve certainly had fun with micro holidays and have spent a happy morning soaking up the sun on the beach, or relaxing with a good book. I’ve also taken time to explore the Roman town of Caistor St Edmund, which was the forerunner to the fine city of Norwich. How lovely it was to walk around the town, explore the ruined walls and imagine the landscape as it would have looked in AD60.

This week we can all find time for a micro holiday and can have fun away from the busyness of work.

Where will you go?

Next week: Leveraging Twitter for Business