MIND DECLUTTER: Why we must go sailing

By Carol Cronin
I have a confession to make: I was out of the office last week.

No, I wasn’t sick. I was sailing.

Yes, I worked a few hours each evening. But that was really just to keep up with email, answer urgent questions, and put in enough time to (hopefully) allow me to go sailing again in a few months.

And it was fun.

Kim Couranz is a fantastic teammate. And she finishes ahead of me in every single race we sail.

There are definitely a few things that fell behind in my absence. Longer term projects simmering away need more brain power than I had available after normal business hours. And that’s great, because it means I do make a difference when I’m around.

But feeling needed is not the best reason to get away. It’s not even the second best reason. The second best reason is that it makes me realize everything at work will keep revolving without me for a week, or even longer, thanks to the rest of the boats.com editorial team.

And the first best reason? I’ll let attorney Amy Benner, who was also on her first escape from a real job last week (to the Snipe Midwinters in Florida), cover that one:

“One might think that taking time out from working in order to get myself and my gear to Clearwater, then exerting the energy and suffering required by sailing six monster races in big breeze over three days, would have certainly worn me out for work. But now that I’ve returned to the office, I feel energized and my mind has been cleared of excess clutter.”

Just like Amy, I too came back to my desk energized and excited to be back at work…. read on