What a workation brings you is very personal. Highly needed rest, new stimuli, relaxation or just focus. I find it important to share not only my experiences, but also those of others. Randy also went remote working in Lanzarote and experienced a special week about which she wrote a guest blog. Saturday afternoon. Soaking wet I come home after a reluctant workout. Cold, tired and full of self-pity I plop down on the couch. I manage to scroll aimlessly on my phone for exactly 35 minutes and then realize that this is the moment. In January, I decided to make more use of my freedom as an independent entrepreneur. Freedom that goes beyond skipping the occasional Friday afternoon or trading in my home office for the flex office around the corner. That same afternoon, I booked a ticket to Lanzarote! Sunshine, time for myself and full focus on my own copywriting business. In retrospect, one of my best choices to date.
Fortunately, attempt two did succeed
Lanzarote was workation attempt two for me, because let me be honest: although I can pen nicely, my first workation was not exactly to write home about. Wijk aan Zee, May 2021: my fifth month as an independent entrepreneur, part-time salaried employee and full-time juggler with far too many balls. Balls that – while running behind – I could barely keep high. Yet I booked a midweek by the sea with two other girls. We were going to work on our businesses, spar and learn from each other.
Combined with a box of wine and a few pounds of cheese, that sounded like a good plan.
A long story short? I didn’t have the peace and quiet to spar with, got insecure about all their cool plans and, above all, thought: if I just pick up my work for clients now, I’ll probably have more peace and quiet at home next week for this creative stuff. Guess how successful that choice was. In retrospect, it was. I came home exhausted and whined for a while, but decided to quit my job the next day. My first workstation was the straw to take the plunge: full-time entrepreneurship.
Time for myself and focus on my business
Almost a year later and far from being the same person and entrepreneur as in that cottage by the sea, I chose Lanzarote. This time by myself. Why:
– I really needed a bubble: no clients, but my own business
– I was ready for some time for myself and was curious what that would do to me
– Because it can be done. Good to know: this was then also my goal for this workation. I didn’t want to do my “regular work,” but rather make time to work on my business. What do I like and what not, how can I do more for my clients and what does that mean for my offerings and way of working? From that moment my head started rattling: I wanted to do so much right away. Via Instagram I got the Workation-tip not to put too much pressure on myself and just see how things go. Make sure nothing is really necessary and get the most out of it. The weeks before, I told my clients that I would be out of action for a week in March. I concretized my laundry list of ideas and vague plans and set one goal! At the end of the week, I had a sharp focus on what I wanted and didn’t want anymore, what my new offer was and what my next steps would be. This gave me peace of mind and at the same time tons of energy. I couldn’t wait to get going and in the meantime reassured those around me. Yes, things are going well and no, there are no relationship problems. “Going on vacation alone” is apparently crazy when you are in a relationship after all.
Sun, Aperol Spritz and the Bachelor
The moment I stepped into Schiphol Airport, I knew: this is going to be my week. Before my departure I had already secretly worked out my plans, which meant I suddenly had quite a concrete to do list for Lanzarote. Day 1, by the way, I did nothing at all: I walked around a bit, enjoyed the at that time still sparse sunshine and ordered an Aperol Spritz to kick off the week. Whereas beforehand I still felt like I had all sorts of useful things to do (as in read books and do rock-hard personal development), the first evening I plopped down on the couch with a beer, shot glasses and a new episode of The Bachelor. Totally fine, because this was my week. The next morning – with my self-imposed rule of working a maximum of four hours a day – I would begin my plans. Just relaxed, in the sun.
To do’s overboard and my hatty bullet journal
Without losing you to substantive chatter, I realized on Day 3 that I wanted to do things completely differently. With my new plans and to do’s I stayed neatly within the beaten path, but once in Lanzarote I felt I was allowed to think bigger. To dream bigger. For a while there were no distractions or order of the day that required my creativity to be quickly put back into the closet. No clock to work, exercise or cook neatly on time. No deadlines, phone calls or appointments. Where at home everything must be done quickly, according to plan and within the time available, I suddenly felt the peace to take a few steps back. The peace of the Spanish sun, I guess. You know what? Overboard those to do’s. What do I really want? Just before leaving, I bought a bullet journal in the Netherlands. Nice hat, I thought, but in retrospect the most valuable book I now own. I decided to leave my laptop in the closet all week and actually take the time and freedom to write out my plans and dreams. Exactly, in that muted bullet journal and without all the distractions my laptop offers. Without a mailbox, fancy programs where you delete everything just as quickly and the Internet to immediately look up next steps, figure them out and compare them.
Simply, my fancy notebook and I.
Not one day really felt like a work day
And so I filled each day with sunshine, a coffee here, cocktail there, Spanish markets, lunch out of doors or drinks on the couch. But also a good afternoon of shopping, walks along the coast and me-time in the form of a massage, manicure and pedicure. And yes: plenty of room for those new plans. Who is my client, where do they get stuck, where do they want to go? What would I offer without considering what I can and know now? Whether that maximum four-hour-a-day work succeeded? Actually, that was soon overboard. With only a book and notebook in my pocket and the necessary snacks, drinks and sunshine, not one day really felt like a work day.
The next workation: without self-imposed goals
My work station in Lanzarote is one of the best choices I’ve made. The peace of being alone for a while, but also the awkwardness it sometimes brings. The whole week of free Spanish lessons, getting into conversation with random people or deciding not to speak to anyone that day. Reflecting on what I no longer want to spend time and energy on at home or which things and people do matter. Having the space to really think out of the box. Having the time to put something away and pick it up again later, without getting lost in the daily rush in the meantime. No matter how creative I can be at home, that button flips when it’s 5:30 p.m., food has to be put on the table and that one client really needs to be called back. I can’t wait to make plans for my next work station! Which I can then throw overboard again on the spot and seize whatever moment and location brings me. Randy van Ekeren
Curious about other experiences? Then also read this blog.
