I’m writing this from my hotel room. One mile from home. I know. It’s strange. I tried to explain it to a good friend who called:
Me: “I’m at a hotel down the street.”
Friend: “What city are you in?”
Me: “Atlanta.”
Friend: “You mean, you’re going home to Atlanta tomorrow?”
Me: “No, I’m at a hotel in Atlanta.”
Friend: “Oh. So you are speaking in Atlanta tomorrow and you’re staying in the hotel where you have a speaking engagement tomorrow?”
Me: “No. I don’t have a speaking engagement tomorrow. I just decided to stay down the street from home at a hotel.”
Friend: Silence.
Friend: “So … how much is that costing you?
Okay, here’s the deal. I looked at everything that I needed to accomplish before closing up shop for the holidays and decided as “a recovering procrastinator with a tendency to relapse,” I better come up with a plan to help me focus. So I checked myself in to a hotel, which gave me an undistracted environment with a focused agenda – not to mention the threat of wasting my money if I check out without finishing what I checked in to do. I found myself energized and productive.
When I get stuck, sometimes all I need is a change of environment. How about you? As we close out 2012, perhaps a new environment could be just the boost you need to be productive or start envisioning what you want to do in the coming year. Whether an afternoon at Starbucks or a weekend away, breaking out of your comfort zone physically can help you break out of your comfort zone mentally.
Give it try. Leave a comment below, and let me know what works for you.
