Need a Break? Take a Day Trip!
- Reusable bags anyone?
We all know that the weekend is a great time to get work done. Most of your colleagues are not working, so there are few email and phone interruptions. You can work from home or at the coffee shop. You’re rested (hopefully), so you can think more clearly and get lots done in a short amount of time.
The problem is that when you continue your work through the weekend, you risk a minor breakdown when Monday rolls around. The weekend is there for a reason. It is your chance to recharge your batteries, spend time with family and friends, enjoy your hobbies, and clear your mind from the distractions that inevitably result from being a product manager.
Don’t get me wrong, I sometimes take advantage of the weekend to process my email, write a presentation, or review documentation. However, I try not to. I know that I will be more productive in the long run if I get a break.
One of my favorite techniques for escaping the urge to misuse the weekend is to take a day trip. A day trip allows you to get away and see something different while keeping you from doing any serious work. Also, you don’t have to deal with the stress of packing, sleeping in a new bed, and trying to find the time to do all the typical “weekend stuff” when you return.
Yesterday, my daughter and I took a day trip to Chicago. The “Windy City” is an easy 90-minute train ride from MKE. Our main objective with the trip was to visit the 3rd annual Chicago Green Festival at Navy Pier. It was a fantastic event with tons of vendors, good food, and organic wine and beer tasting (obviously!). We enjoyed learning about fair trade, organic farming, energy efficiency, and much more. At one of the book-selling booths, we met a man who had been vegan for 30 years and is so healthy he doesn’t even have a primary physician. Pretty awesome. I bought a book on quick and easy tofu cooking.
It is amazing how many organic t-shirt companies are out there. We’re getting to the point where even eco-friendly companies will need to be able to differentiate themselves. Sounds like there is going to be a real need for some talented product marketing professionals in sustainable manufacturing and services here soon…
The ChicoBag marketing department has definitely embraced the “sticky” concepts of “unexpectedness,” “concreteness,” and “emotional” when it comes to their idea: a pile of grocery bags representing the annual usage of an average shopper (see picture above). Clever.
(More on the qualities of ideas that stick after I finish reading my current book.)
We arrived back in Milwaukee tired and inspired after a day full of learning and togetherness and very much lacking email, PowerPoint, and WebEx. I’m refreshed, my spirits are high, and I’m ready for Monday.
