A few days following the path of past ideas

You ever get that feeling when a brilliant idea strikes and you're riding high on creativity? You feel like nothing can stop you in that inspirational bubble. You're all in, promising yourself you'll take action. But then...

…reality kicks in. Maybe you share your dream with a friend or just daydream about it, thinking you’ll act when the perfect moment arrives. But life has a way of getting in the way, and time slips through your fingers.

It started just before the summer. That feeling of always being one step behind. Behind what, you may ask, which is a really good question. If I were to ask my co-workers at the company I’m currently working for, my husband or even my bank account, they would probably say they don’t have a clue. ‘She is not behind anything.’ But I couldn’t shake off that feeling that my ideas were piling up, itching at me like an itch I just couldn’t scratch.

The truth is, I had set intentions and goals for the year, which included writing more blog posts like this one, improving the design of this website, and completing two digital courses on CSS and accessibility. But time has slipped away, and I’ve struggled to gain momentum.

If we don’t claim time, it will be claimed for us.

In reality, I was juggling work, family, running errands, physical training, and social happenings. The list goes on, and I feel productive most of the days, but the ideas stay as just ideas. Nothing really happens.

As you know, I’m a professional problem solver. Not kidding. The only thing I do all day, every day as a freelancing developer, is solving problems. And as a mother. And as a friend. A family schedule planner. But back to the professional problem-solving part of me, freelancing. This problem needs a fix.

So, what did I do? I booked a conference for myself — a getaway. It’s common to go on a conference with your colleagues in a bigger company for planning, teamwork or learn something new. But my company is me, myself and I. And there are actually some rules around this. I can’t make anything too fancy because I don’t have my annoying co-workers with me (just kidding), it can count as a vacation. But that was not my plan. I wanted to get away to get stuff done.

After some deep digging through the internet, I found a small cabin in the countryside outside Varberg. And now I’m here. It’s me, this cabin with a spa bath outside, a greenhouse with a fireplace, and beautiful surroundings. I booked two nights, and this is my last day here. I almost feel like an author hiding away in Österlen, Sweden, to wrap up a novel. But that is not my kind of dream, just liked the metaphor. This was a first try for me. Will it work? Will I get stuff done? Be inspired? Be able to keep my focus?

Reflecting on these days, I can honestly say it’s been great. Time always flies when you’re having fun. But for two days, I planned my own schedule with a balance of education, writing, coding, time in the fresh air and on the yoga mat. With clear goals, I think I did pretty well. I’ve covered 33% of one course, done a lot of reflection, written two blog posts (Vibes), penned two short pieces (Beats), and collected tons of inspiration.

So, what’s the takeaway?

We will always have things to do, to fill our days with. And the ones that take more effort are the easiest to procrastinate. And that is okay. If we accept that the only thing between us and our ideas is simply getting started, we’re more likely to make them happen. I read recently that 80% of projects we start, we finish. Now I have started and am on my way to the next challenge, keeping up the work.

The feeling I take with me is that this was both really productive and fun, in a way that fits me perfectly. I can absolutely see myself returning in the future.

My approach to ‘getting started’ was to take a few days away. What’s your trick?