Unlikely Retreat

A few summers ago, I was called to jury duty. Though I didn't serve on a trial, I did report for several days. A positive outcome of the experience was how it gave me time to think. Since prospective jurors can’t use electronics (no phones, laptops, etc.), I brought along a spiral notebook.

"Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits." -Satchel Paige

While waiting, I brainstormed. With few distractions aside from the banal chatter from a TV, I had long stretches of free moments to ponder. I imagined myself as Thoreau on Walden Pond despite my less than idyllic surroundings stuck in a 60′s era courthouse.

"Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it." - Henry David Thoreau

Mostly, I wrote. A lot. Lists. Ideas. Diagrams. I contemplated the future while making sense of the present. There were projects to plan. Dreams to explore. And more. This was a very productive period. Refreshing. Necessary. And good for my sanity.

The busy-ness that envelops a typical day often interferes with concentration and focus. There is little time or energy to truly work through problems, to pause and reflect. The filling of my civic duty seems like an odd circumstance for such an epiphany. Nevertheless it worked for me. I think it was the abundance of time alongside the quiet silence and isolation of the moment that generated such a wealth of activity.

With 70 sheets of college-ruled paper to explore, I felt energized to fill them with thousands of words. Through this I was able to resolve many thoughts that had been nagging and tugging at the edges of my mind. I charted a journey. I made decisions. And this all invigorated and expanded my imagination. Since this was not a singular event – I was in the jury room for several days – I had time to revisit and revise each day’s output without anything or anyone else to interfere with my progress.

You might ask: “Wasn’t your mind swimming with all the work you should be doing and everything that’s not getting done?” Strangely no. Instead of complaining about my situation, I elected to make the most of it. I welcomed the forced break and took advantage of the time to be creative.

I can’t emphasize enough the real power my retreat brought to me. I recharged and refocused. And that was invaluable. I encourage you to figure out a way to arrange a similar situation for yourself. Don’t confuse this retreat with vacation. The retreat is specific work, focused on idea generation and strategic planning. Vacation is time away from everything (and that’s another good idea on its own).

For the most benefit, you need several hours of uninterrupted time with no distractions and no technology. You can’t do this in a hour. Commit to a longer period of time and spread it out over several days. Go low-tech and try it with a pen and a notebook. It might be good to go to a new place, too. Choose somewhere that isn’t really comfortable (like the hard-backed chairs in a jury room).

You may resist at first (I did), but soon you will begin to explore ideas. Record your thoughts and let them wander around inside and discover where they take you. Delve into the what and eventually the why and how. When you return from your sojourn you can then take action steps.