Start taking your mini-retirement early

Do you have people around you who say, “Once this happens, we’ll finally be able to rest or fulfill our dream” or do you say it yourself? It has been proven that in 99% of cases, that moment never comes. The real question is how important that goal or dream truly is to you. If it is, start thinking about the concept of taking a mini-retirement. You’ll be surprised by the results and by how simple it is to begin.

How to work with your inner energy

Working with inner energy is a science in itself, but if you listen to your body, you can feel it. You know where you recharge your energy and what drains it the most. Over time, you’ll naturally begin to avoid places and people that drain your battery and that’s healthy.
If you know that learning, hobbies, travel, or any activity where you are the focus recharges you, then you must make time for it. Time is the most valuable thing I have, and I must learn how to allocate it properly both for recharging and for spending my energy.

What is a mini-retirement?

A mini-retirement is about fulfilling your wishes, dreams, and goals and, I believe, recharging your inner battery. But you have to make time for it, and it’s worth discussing whether that time comes from work or from family. I take a bit from both. I always do it with the intention that I’ll give even more back to both my family and my work afterward.

The key is that it’s not just two hours it’s, for example, a whole day. Every Friday, I have a day just for myself. No meetings are scheduled, and I don’t plan any work other than recharging. For me, that often means learning, thinking, researching online, sports, and relaxation. I’ve probably described the order quite accurately: mornings are creative for me, afternoons more mechanical. That’s how my battery works in a daily cycle.

So, a mini-retirement is about fulfilling dreams and recharging. Most of the great ideas for our companies were born on Friday mornings.

How to start taking a mini-retirement

You must be uncompromising. Block time in your calendar when you’re unavailable, or directly schedule regular activities. If you know which activities suit you best in the morning, write them into your calendar for at least two hours. Do the same for the afternoon.

Have you always wanted to learn to play the electric guitar like I have? I take lessons in the afternoon. I don’t care how long it takes; what matters is that I’m learning and fulfilling a dream. Want to improve your German? Friday mornings are when I attend German lessons. Even if progress is slow, I see improvement and that’s enough for me.

Write a list of what you want to learn, experience, and enjoy, and schedule it perhaps on Fridays. That doesn’t mean you won’t answer the phone if work calls, but you’re simply in a different mode.

Now you might ask: When will I work? Won’t I miss that time?
You won’t. I’ve tested it. People are truly effective only a few hours a day. The work you’d normally do in five days can, with higher efficiency, be done in four. Higher efficiency means doing the right things at the right time. The time constraint forces you to work this way.

And on Fridays, you build something extra something you didn’t have before: you recharge, you think about where and how to move forward, and you educate yourself.

Mini-retirement as burnout prevention

This is more of a perspective for younger generations. We in our fifties don’t burn out as easily because we’ve learned to listen to our bodies and minds and to sense our inner battery. I’ve never experienced burnout myself, but friends often tell me how people get stuck in a rat race and stop looking left or right.

Friday is my day to pause and think about the best next step in business. I give myself plenty of time just to think. Even the world’s richest man, Warren Buffett, spends most of his time alone, thinking.
Author’s note: I don’t consider Elon Musk the richest man, as his wealth is largely tied to the fluctuating mood of the stock markets around Tesla.

When should you start?

Start now. There is never a “right time” that’s the very principle behind postponing personal goals and dreams. Start today. Schedule your first Friday, then simply click “repeat every week.”

I wish you batteries as fully charged as mine are every Friday evening and that you look forward to the weekend with your family.

Original publication source: Magnoli.cz