Strategic Coach Resources

The Free Day™ habit.

A Free Day is a 24-hour period spent away from all work-related thinking, communication, and action. Free Days help you remain creative, productive, and energized throughout the year.

It’s easy to forget to take them when you’re busy or excited about new projects and don’t want to stop working. Suddenly you feel tired and reactive, and everyone else seems stupid. To stay out of this trap, make Free Days a part of your fundamental habits and strategies for success. Here’s a quick review of some basic Free Day principles:

Charging yourself: Free Days are a precondition for periods of high achievement.

In the traditional view, “time off” is seen as a reward that must be earned through hard work — and taken only when you’ve driven yourself to the point where you have to take it. Free Days operate on a different principle: Your best results depend on you having a fresh store of energy to fuel your creativity. Taking time to rejuvenate before important projects, events, or busy times of year keeps you in top form.

This 24-hour period lets you fully disengage from the projects and pressures of the office. Free Days also create room in your life for other things you value, like important relationships; making a contribution to your community; and travel, hobbies, or whatever passions you have outside your business. Whatever you do on your Free Days, when you return to the office, you’ll have more energy, and your mind will reward you with fresh new solutions and insights.

Plan, protect, and communicate.

The best Free Days happen when you plan them in advance, protect them from intrusions, and communicate your intentions to others. You can educate your clients, customers, and team to work with you this way. Clients and customers will appreciate having you at your creative and attentive best, and your team will appreciate the opportunity to develop the capabilities they need to function in your absence.

How’s your Free Day habit?

Are you taking real Free Days? If the answer is “no,” how can you strengthen the habit? Here are some tips: Make sure you have Free Days planned at regular intervals in your schedule. Then, when you take these days off, give yourself the opportunity to fully disengage from your business. Leave your work at the office. Think about how to make your Free Days as rejuvenating as possible and take the necessary actions to make them happen. Free Days are too important to miss, both for the sake of your business and for your quality of life.

This article orginally appeared in the semiannual newsletter, Strategic Seasonings issue 12, 2004 [220KB PDF].