Snow Day -
An unexpected day when you are supposed to go to school but it is canceled. An unexpected break. An unexpected escape from it all. A day to relax, not a day to catch up on work.”
- The Urban Dictionary
By way of full disclosure; I have never actually experienced a literal snow day. Meaning, I have never had a day when I couldn’t go to work or the kids couldn’t get to school because of the snow. That includes the 2 years we lived in Chicago! Ironically, it would be more likely that school/work would be called off in Texas due to snow given the incredible preparedness of the people in the Windy City.
We have, however, experienced some philosophical “snow days” in our business. The first was accidental, but the next and everyone in the future will be planned.
The first was related to a two-day quarterly offside for our coaching practice where we decided to stay very late the first day and didn’t need the second one scheduled. We awoke the next day to a completely clear calendar and decided we would consider it a “snow day”.
It was an unexpected day-off that resulted in some great relaxation, family time, and a little necessary soul care. Absolutely no work was allowed. It was incredible.
Given our dozens of clients and the large list of prospective clients that we are talking to this time of year, any known place in our calendars gets filled quickly. Even scheduled days off get filled with errands, doctor visits and all manner of other incidentals.
The next one was completely planned. We have been working overtime with several offsite events and a very busy schedule. Since our Client Experience Coordinator (CEC) completely manages our schedules, the fake conference call, extended financial review meeting, and coaching appointment with “Ron Burgundy” didn’t arouse my suspicion.
Once our CEC told us they were all fake appointments the night before and canceled them, I was a little embarrassed that I didn’t notice the Ron Burgundy (made famous by Will Ferrell in “Anchor Man”) appointment. But that was easily made up for by having another “snow day” in front of us.
The reality is that all of us need more soul care than we are getting. All leaders need clear and unscheduled spaces in their calendars to rest, recharge, and not think about the day-to-day responsibilities of their jobs. All the studies show that adequate downtime or soul care is the necessary ingredient of greater productivity in the time you are working.
This is not a luxury, but a necessity.
Do you live in a climate like ours where it hasn’t really snowed in decades? That doesn’t mean you can’t have a snow day. Trust me, it will do wonders for your health, quality of life, and productivity.
Consider
When is the last time you took a day off? Took some time off for soul care?
Did you really take the day off or fill it up with a bunch of other things to do?
How much do you think you would benefit from something like that?