There are a few things that can be as helpful to a business as taking the time to look back and think about what you are and have been doing. This is especially true for freelancers.
While big companies have people who are specifically there to think about long-term strategy and review what is happening, freelancers have to actively find the time to perform those tasks themselves.
How do you do that? Today, we’ll present to you something you might have heard of – a mix of work and vacation that is loved by freelancers worldwide.
Introducing the freelance work retreat!
Why is a freelancer work retreat important?
It’s a chance to really take some time off while simultaneously tackling one of the most important aspects of a business: planning for the future.
Stepping back from the day-to-day buzz will allow you to more deeply think about what’s going on with your business. Here are the top three things that you can do during your freelancer retreat to make your business better than ever:
1. Look at the bigger picture
Getting some perspective on how your business really is functioning is probably one of the most essential things you should get into the habit of doing. Some people like to do it at the end of a year with a freelance achievement review – and while that might seem like an obvious task, between holiday trips and reuniting with family there is rarely enough time for a structured analysis.
It’s extremely important to do this right, though. Understanding the bigger picture is how you plan the future – take real time off to do that. You need to be wholly focused.
2. Focus on a large, daunting task you’re putting off
Yeah, we all have some of those tasks at the back of our minds. What’s yours?
- Finally switching your e-mail provider?
- Organizing your files properly?
- Rebuilding your website?
Whatever it might be, large projects like that may not necessarily seem important for the next paycheck. But if they save you time or get you clients, they absolutely are! There’s nothing like having a retreat specifically for for finally completing those tasks.
3. Come up with new ideas
Last but not least, when is the last time you actually actively took out some time to brainstorm new ideas? Thinking about new projects can often be initiated in the day-to-day buzz where ideas tend to come spontaneously. But taking those ideas and turning them into something substantial takes time. If you don’t go ahead and give yourself that time, ideas will remain just that – ideas.
Planning your freelance work retreat in 4 steps
1# Retreat duration – A day, a week or a month?
The first thing you should determine when planning your freelance retreat is its duration. Depending on whether or not you have deadlines coming or personal obligations at home, a retreat can be anywhere from a single day to a couple of weeks.
Longer retreats are better when you have a lot on your mind and can afford the time off. But even if that’s not the case, a short retreat can be better than nothing (and, in fact, the short duration works better for some people). Just consider what you need to get done, and how you are as an individual worker and what you can realistically accomplish in a given amount of time.
2# Location – Staying in your city or flying somewhere?
Where are you headed? The next town, a warm island, or a quaint little city on another continent? Any of those is a viable answer. But it obviously depends on the duration of your retreat – flying to Amsterdam might not be worth it for a single-day trip.
Make sure you get familiar with the place as much as you can – if you can’t go there beforehand, do your research. A retreat is about taking time off, but you also want to accomplish things. Make sure you won’t have to waste the first day wandering around and asking for directions.
3# Accommodation – Luxury lodgings or budget hotels?
The question of where you should be staying during your retreat depends on if you intend to be working at that place as well. If you plan to spend most of the time at coffee shops or the public library, a simple, inexpensive hotel room should suffice. If you are looking for something cozier, try Airbnb. The site is an absolute blessing for freelancers looking for a nice place to make their retreat.
4# Agenda
Don’t be fooled by the fact that this section is so low on the list – determining your agenda is one of the most important aspects of a freelancer retreat. If you don’t have enough to do or, even worse, plan for too much work, the retreat probably won’t have the desired effect. So make sure you have an agenda. Make it as granular as necessary, but not so much as to defeat the purpose of having all that free time. A day-by-day plan with realistic goals should serve nicely in most cases.
🧘 Find out more about work-life balance.
Have you ever made a freelancer retreat of your own? Share your experience in the comment section below this article!
