Make a Working Staycation Your Most Productive Day Ever

A well-planned day around town may be your most productive day ever.My normal blogging workday is spent at home by myself on the weekend, stretched out in the recliner with my laptop.  For those who try to work with two or three littles nipping around their knees, that may sound like heaven.  But that is not really my most productive day.

A well-planned day around town may be your most productive day ever.

I’ve found that I am most productive when I have a little distraction going on around me. The quiet stillness bores me and I end up wandering around the house to distract myself.  Weird.

So when someone gave me the idea of a one-day working staycation, I thought I’d give it a try, just for something different.  The idea is that you go someplace nearby … a coffee shop, restaurant, anything with a good wi-fi connection …. work for a while, then go to another place.

Let me tell you …. I loved it! Packing my laptop and a bare minimum supplies, I spent the day in three different locations close to my house.  I got soooooo much done!  Here are four tips to turning a working staycation into

One of your most productive days ever:

  1. Pick your spots carefully.  I started at my public library, then moved to Starbucks for lunch, then McDonald’s in the afternoon.  I avoided places in their busiest times of the day.  They were also close to each other so I didn’t have to drive very far inbetween.
  2. Travel light.  I took only my laptop, mouse, power cords and a small notebook.  That made it easy to set up and pack up as I moved from place to place.
  3. Plan your time.  I divided the day into two and half hour sections and planned specific activities for each slot.  Business planning at the library, two blog posts at Starbucks, social media and consulting tasks at McDonald’s.  Having that little bit of a plan helped me jump right in to my work as I set up in each location.
  4. Power outlets in the table at the library!
    Power outlets in the table at the library!

    Mind your power.  Plug in and charge up whenever you have access to power, even if you don’t think you need it.  I wasn’t able to get close to an outlet at Starbucks, so I was glad that I was fully charged after leaving the library.

Here’s what I learned from my staycation:

  1.  I am 10 times more productive when I have a little activity going on around me than I am at home alone.  Even at the library where it was relatively quiet, just having people nearby helped me focus. Honestly, I could have spent the whole day at the library.  The conditions there were perfect.
  2. McDonald’s was my least favorite.  I think it was the burger smell.  Since my initial staycation, I’ve also visited and worked at another local coffeeshop which will take that spot next time.
  3. By traveling light and staying close, the time between stopping and starting  was only 30 – 40 minutes.  Just enough of a brain break to be refreshed and ready to go again!
  4. I consumed at LOT less calories than when I work at home 🙂  WIN!!

The day FLEW by.  When it was time to head back home, I was shocked at all I had accomplished.

My working day around town reminded me of this Bible verse:

 Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives. Titus 3:14 (NIV)

I love how this verse tells me that being productive is something we must (and can) learn.

Having a specific plan for the day allowed me to devote myself to what needed to be done, and to have one of my most productive days ever. And making progress on my most important goals and projects helps me relax and enjoy the other areas of my life.  I’m planning to make this a regular part of my biz routine at least once a month.

 

RESPOND

Where is your favorite place to have your most productive day ever?


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10 thoughts on “Make a Working Staycation Your Most Productive Day Ever”

  1. GURL, I’m just so impressed that you can write 2 blog posts in 2.5 hours! Uh May Zing! PS – I’m a slow writer. I may give this a try, but as a home body who loves to stay in her jammies, my time may not be as productive as yours…

    Reply
    • You hit the nail on the head. It’s not usually OTHER things distracting me … it’s me distracting myself! That’s why it is LESS distracting for me to be out in public than home by myself. It’s almost like all those people (who don’t know me and have no idea why I am there) are holding me accountable! Weird, I know.

      Reply
  2. Ahhhhhhh . . . this is what I need! I’ve been “stuck” for a couple of weeks. I was traveling for one of the weeks but I’ve been having a hard time getting “unstuck”. I think I know what I’ll be doing tomorrow afternoon!

    Reply
  3. I’m excited to have a day away for my birthday, and I can’t wait! It’s SO loud here. I’m the total opposite. I need quiet to think. That’s when I’m most productive. Thanks for the tips. 🙂

    Reply
  4. I am SO trying this very soon! I will need to adjust it a little bit because – as a school teacher in a small town – I run into lots of friendly faces at the local places:) I love visiting with folks, but I would definitely be more productive if I move my locations a little further away from home. Thanks for the productivity idea, Christa!

    Reply
  5. Ah! I have been toying with this idea for a long time. I think I should just go do it after reading your post! I also have our library, Macs and a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf shop (similar to Starbucks) all near each other!

    Reply
  6. I actually did this last Saturday afternoon. My daughter was working on a project at a friend’s house and it was far from home. I decided to stay in the area so I brought my iPad and went to a coffee shop. I usually need quiet but the place wasn’t packed so it was nice, and very productive. It wasn’t a whole day but like you say, “a section” of my afternoon. You can get a lot done in two hours, even one! Thanks for sharing that verse at the end. Good reminder.

    Reply

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