Times are tough, and while we’re all doing our best, sometimes just getting through the day feels overwhelming. Thinking about the big picture might seem impossible when the future is uncertain, but taking some time for your creative business goals is seriously worth it. Using your precious time to build a boundary and retreat into your own goals and plans can actually help your business to grow, strengthen, survive and thrive.

My recommendation is to run away from home for a self-appointed creative retreat. I try to do it at least twice a year. 

A retreat is a wonderful way to place your professional life front and centre in your own priorities. Try and create space for one to two-days, away from the hustle and bustle of your everyday life. If you get easily distracted by social media and emails, choose a spot with patchy internet reception. You can even turn your phone off. 

The purpose of a retreat is to make time for self-focus and strategic development. It’s so easy to get lost in the mechanics of running your own business, but a retreat helps you to step back and work on your business, not just in your business. Taking that time is crucial for long-term survival and success.

For my own retreats, I pack my bags with comfy clothes, sketch books, butcher’s paper, coloured markers, post-its and my laptop. I deliberately choose somewhere far away from my usual family and business life, where I have nothing scheduled and nothing to see. Apart from maybe sharing dinner with a local friend, I make no other plans. I don’t take my family, and I find no distractions. I take three days, I get on a plane or drive my car, and I stay in paid-for accommodation that allows me internet access and somewhere to work. 

You can use your retreat to:

• Clarify your business vision, define your short and long term goals, and break those down into practical actions defined by a realistic time-frame (such as monthly, quarterly or yearly objectives).
• Review your recent successes and failures, analyse what’s working and what isn’t, and identify areas for improvement. This could include looking at your finances, marketing, and client work.
• Taking time away from your daily distractions can lead to brainstorming new ideas. Unleash your creativity to develop new pathways, products, services, marketing strategies, or business models.
• Tackle specific business challenges that you haven’t had time to address, such as improving a workflow, revamping your website, or creating a new offering.
• You can also use the time for dedicated learning time. Use your retreat to focus on learning new skills, attending online courses, reading that book you’ve had on the list, or researching new tools and technologies that can benefit your business.

It’s also worth making the time to recharge and rejuvenate. You don’t just have to focus on your business. Your retreat can also provide a much-needed mental and physical break to help you counteract the progression of burnout. Go for a walk, meditation, nap, and enjoy that uninterrupted quiet time. 

The hardest part for me is always the first few hours. After arriving and unpacking, seeing all my notes and ideas strewn about the place, I feel a bit panicky. I want to go home, see my family, bury myself in paid work for clients or answer some emails so I feel ‘productive’. 

This is the detox part of the retreat, and a normal part of the process. It’s fuelled by good old-fashioned self-sabotage tendencies. In my case, it’s the fear coming out about taking a good hard look at my own business and seeing all its faults and flaws. Like many creatives, I’m also well trained to believe that I’m only useful when I’m making money. Spending money on travel and accommodation, and not getting paid for my time, is a big investment when there’s no income for that time, but that’s part of the plan. It forces me to remember that my own business is more important than the work I do for my clients, and it deserves my time and attention. 

If time and money are hard for you right now, still do your best. In my early days I would still take a night in a dodgy caravan park somewhere away and work in the local library. The investment was relative and just as important. I’ve now built the business to the point where I can fly somewhere nice and stay in a hotel – and that’s in no small part to the business retreats of past years, and the focus they gave me.

Focusing on my goals, brainstorming and dumping all my collected ideas, and writing down my plans is an amazing process. The best part is, it also helps me to rekindle my passion and reconnect with why I started my business in the first place. I leave my retreats with reinforced motivation and purpose, and I usually can’t wait to do it all again.

Things are hard for creative business owners and arts professionals. Intentional, uninterrupted time for reflection, strategic planning, learning, and self-care is not a luxury. It’s a necessity for sustaining yourself, surviving and thriving. Make the time, and give it a go – you’ll love it. 

Would you like our help to work through your own Business Retreat? We offer the PLAN program, where a trusted Creative Plus Business advisor can help facilitate a planning day for your business, your organisation or yourself. It’s completely confidential and easy to book here.