I wrote recently about delivering a workshop for colleagues.
So, I thought, why not deliver one for myself?
It wasn’t as mad as it may sound!
I often have ‘thinking days’ to work on something but I decided to try and bring a bit of structure to it, given that it worked so well for team workshops. I created myself an agenda, set up the environment and organised the logistics.
I called it the ‘Self Strategy Day’.
I was working on something new, so designed this to be a stand-alone session to work through my thinking and generate ideas. I think the approach could also be used as a pre-cursor to another workshop, to gather your own thoughts before meeting with others.
I designed some exercises with timings, and identified what I wanted to get out of the day. I set up some different spaces at home, sorted the stationery, and bought some different snacks.
So, how did it go?
These are my top tips:
1. Design it and look forward to it
Put it in the diary, dedicate the time and plan for it. Your brain will start working in advance and it’s nice to do something different, even if you’re working in the familiarity of home. You can also plan in advance by collating materials, or printing things off that you might need so you can get going straightaway on the day.
2. Have an agenda, but be able to flex
I used a ‘Terms of Reference’ for the session. We use this for other meetings and workshop sessions, and it defines Purpose, Objectives, Agenda, Inputs and Outputs. Giving it the same status as other meetings helped me to recognise its importance.
As with team workshops, being flexible to give something that’s working well a bit more time and moving on if something isn’t working also works for a self session!
I recognised when I was flagging and needed a break or to do something different. Equally, when I was really in the flow of one part of the day, I adjusted the timings to fit.
3. Use nice stationery
I opened a fresh notebook, a set of index cards, and some new highlighters — these all made it feel different.
4. Treat yourself with snacks
Different food and some nice water helped it to feel like a conference and enhanced my experience!
5. Use break-out spaces and take breaks
I put a separate table in my living room and spent part of the session there working offline with books and paper. I also used the floor to organise my post-its and create a physical mind-map! You could also hold part of your day in a café, garden or other type of space, if that works for you.
6. Make sure to move
I got quite drawn in and passionate when I got going, so was sure to schedule breaks and made myself take them.
7. Work with yourself
As with a team workshop, I recognised when I was losing energy, so that was the time to take a break. I also had some little exercises up my sleeve to get me back into it again.
8. Focus
It can be harder when working from home to turn off distractions and focus.
I used a silent timer and scheduled 20-minute sessions. This meant I could glance and see how much time I had left and could lose myself in the moment without worrying what time it was. If I was struggling, I just had to make it to the end of the slot, and if I was in the zone, I could quickly extend it! I used this technique when I wrote my first book and it works so well.
9. Appreciate what it is, but also what it’s not
Overall, this was great approach to focus, gather bits and pieces together and come up with ideas in a structured way.
I achieved what I set out to.
I felt that I came up with new thinking and, once I got going, was inspired to continue.
It was nice to use my home space differently and concentrate on one thing for a period of time.
I enjoyed mixing the day up with different activities.
I learned a bit more about how I work best and how to make it fun and engaging.
The length was about right; a full day would have been too much. Not getting involved in work first thing definitely helped me to bring a clear brain.
I did miss the creativity and laughter from my team, and drawing on flipchart paper or getting the post-its out isn’t quite as much fun on your own…
However, as an occasional way of working, particularly for coming up with new thinking, I found the approach really helpful and would use it again.
Whether it’s with myself or with my team, I think ‘workshop working’ is definitely a great way forward for me!
Have you done a ‘Self Strategy Day’ before? What are your learnings and top tips? If you haven’t tried it, would you give it a go?
