Take a ‘Fall Color Day’

River with fall colors.

Earlier this month I took a Fall Color Day. I blew off work for the day and drove an hour and a half north to a state park. I hiked, I hammocked, I took in the glorious fall colors of a Minnesota autumn.

A week later I took a Mountain Bike Day. I blew off work for the day and drove up to Duluth. I put in about 15 miles of mountain biking, exploring new trails, taking in the colors, and enjoying one of the very last warm days of the year.

I took these personal days because I know winter is coming and the window of opportunity is shrinking. I won’t be able to mountain bike in January, and fall colors simply won’t be as brilliant in a few days. You have to enjoy it while you can. Take those opportunities to recharge and refresh. You’ll come back to work better for it.

What does this have to do with work?

  • Calm down: Too often we prioritize work that doesn’t need to be prioritized. It’s not as urgent as we think it is.
  • Creative rearrangement: While I did “blow off work for the day,” I still got up early and tackled a couple things before I took off. I’ve been known to work a Saturday morning or a weeknight evening to finish something. I learned from 20 years of freelancing to get my work done whenever I can in order to do what I want. Hopefully the rest of us learned that lesson during the pandemic.
  • Opportunity: Sometimes there are timely opportunities that you need to take advantage of, whether it’s a moment to rest or a new business deal or a chance to celebrate a win. Don’t be so focused on today’s to-do list that you can’t see the opportunities.

Here’s permission to take your own Fall Color Day, whatever that may be.

Mountain bike in the middle distance, leaning against a sign, in the middle of a forest, blanked with leaves and surrounded by fall colors.