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April 8, 2021

Think-Week – Focus on your ideas and projects

Have you ever heard about think week? “Think Week” became popular because of Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft Corporation and a billionaire philanthropist. Bill Gates will spend a week in a cabin, twice a year, and read lots of newspapers, magazines, or books.

Think week is having a break from all the distractions and just spend a week in a cabin all by yourselves. While there, you will disconnect yourself from all the technology, family, and friends. Doing that can help you relax and recharge yourself from your stressful daily life.

How to do Think Week

Not all of us are like Bill Gates that have a fancy and luxurious think week. Most of us have to pay bills, family to feed, children to send to school, and have a limited vacation leave. But, even if you are not like Bill Gates or other billionaires, you can still do your very own think week. Here are some tips if you are planning to have your very first think week.

Have a Think day or Think Weekend

A week can be a bit of a big step, so instead of a think week, you can do think day or think weekend. If you were able to complete your think day or think weekend, you can gradually add more time the next time. After all, the main purpose of this is to get away from your daily routine and reflect on yourself and your future.

Block off calendar

You should plan your think week ahead of time to avoid cramming about project deadlines and meetings. In that way, you can keep everything at bay. It is also important that your co-workers will know that you will not be able on those days to avoid calls or texts from them to avoid distractions.

Get rid of all the distractions

You need to make sure that there will be no distractions the whole time for your think week. Technology can be a great distraction, during your think week it is wise to delete the apps on your phone that may cause distractions like social media. It might also be better if you will turn off your phone the whole time of your think week to avoid unnecessary calls. You should tell your family, friends, and co-workers that you will have your phone turned off and tell them that they cannot reach you for these specific dates.

Choose a remote location

Find an isolated cabin where you can have the peace and all the focus that you need for the entire week. Best if it is located close to nature so that you will feel relax and have a fresh mind to start. Much better also if there is no Wi-fi to avoid you checking on your social media accounts and to remove all the distractions. After all, the reason why you want to get away is to refresh your mind and free yourself from your daily routine and distractions.

Set a goal

One thing that can help you accomplish something is to set a goal. What is your purpose in doing this think week? Are you trying to solve a specific problem? Or you want to create new and fresh ideas? Setting a goal will help you to focus more and be more productive because you know what you want to achieve.

Bring lots of materials

You might want to pack some materials like books, notebooks, pens, and other materials that you might need to meet your goal. Those materials are important so that you can write down your fresh ideas that you can think of. It will also encourage you to focus and push you more to achieve your goal.

Ask your co-workers for ideas and suggestions

Even if you’re doing the think week alone, you can still ask your co-workers or teammates for their ideas and suggestions. Ask them before you go, compile them and check them once you are all set and ready to get some fresh ideas.

Plan some other activities

You need to give yourself a break from time to time. Plan other activities such as hiking or doing yoga that can contribute to your focus. According to study people who disconnected themselves from all the distractions and hiked experienced an increase in problem-solving.

Benefits of Think Week

Boost your focus

You’ll have more focus in an environment free of distractions such as co-workers, meetings, and the biggest distraction of all, the internet. Going on a think week clears your mind and focuses on your thoughts.

New scenery, fresh ideas

According to the study, changes in scenery can help you improves your performance. It can enhance your creativity and inspire you to create new ideas. Sometimes a change of environment can make all the difference.

Specific timeline

Having a specific start and end date for the activity helps you to accomplish something. It can help you motivate to reach your goal within this specific time. However, don’t pressure and stress yourself so much because of this timeline. This Think Week activity should be a stress-free and relaxing activity for you, not a stressful one that contradicts the purpose of “Think Week”.

Health benefits

Choosing a location that is close to nature can reduce your stress and makes you feel relax because of the green scenery and the fresh air. Breathing fresh air, hiking or walking, or just spending time with nature, is believed to help boost serotonin, reduce stress, ease off depression and increase your energy levels.

Think Week can be a bit overwhelming at first, but it can be a real game-changer for your productivity. So, if you can afford to have some time off and break from work and family, do it even once a year. After that week-long in a cabin, you’ll feel refreshed, recharged, and ready to pitch in your billion-dollar idea to your team.

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