The power of a change of scene.

I wrote this in Brighton, where I spent a couple of days working by the sea recently. It was a wonderful experience.

Not just because it’s a beautiful place, but because it was a retreat, a rest and a re-energise all in one.

So how did I end up there?

A few weeks beforehand I realised I would get to the summer having hardly ever left my local area.

I love where I live, and I love working from home, and yet it can be too easy to stay put.

Our kids are older now, so I don’t have the natural breaks of the school holidays. I can work through them, so I do.

But I know I have more energy when I go out and come back.

So I looked ahead in my diary, and couldn’t find a gap. Then realised I didn’t have to take holiday - my work is portable!

So I booked myself into a lovely hotel for a couple of nights.

A mini break for me.

I walked along the coast, coached from my hotel room, read some great books, lingered at breakfast, slept brilliantly. Bliss.

I learned that:

I can work from anywhere with wifi.
I love exploring places on a morning walk.
The room itself matters. It’s a cocoon and nest to inhabit.
Unexpected upgrades are wonderful - this is not the room I booked originally!
I appreciate the life I have even more when I leave it for a bit.

My intention is to make this a half year habit. A time to reflect from a different place, to recharge, and to return home with some different perspective.

It’s amazing what 48 hours in a different place can open up.

Do you need a change of scene?

And where would you like to go out to, so you can come back differently?

Wishing you all a week of mixing it up,