THE PRINCIPLE

A mini-break clears the way for new ideas

We’ve all had the experience of getting away from our usual demands and routine and returning feeling refreshed and full of new ideas.

Sadly, it’s not possible to take off two weeks for a trip to a tropical island every time we need inspiration.

Fortunately, you can get away from it all without going very far. Here are six ways to do it:

1. Go to the park. There’s something about being surrounded by greenery and fresh air that immediately helps you switch to a different way of thinking. Even just taking a walk through a park during your lunch break can help.
2. Try a flotation tank. In many cities there are facilities where you can float in a tank filled with salt water heated to body temperature, with no or minimal light and sound. After a short period of this sensory deprivation, your mind stops its chatter.
3. Create a do-it-yourself float. If you can’t find or don’t want to pay for a session in a flotation tank, fill your bathtub, put on an eye mask and have a long soak. If there are distracting noises in your environment, use earplugs as well or put on soothing music.
4. Find an unpopular coffee shop in which to do your work. They’ll be too grateful for your custom to move you on, and you’ll have a quiet atmosphere that’s different from your usual surroundings. My sometime retreat is a pub with service so rubbish that nobody goes there. Except me.
5. Go to the library or a church. Both are havens of quiet where you can get away from excess stimuli. If you’re stressed out at an airport, look for the chapel or prayer room – it’s probably not a good idea to get out your laptop, but you can sit and think.
6. Swap homes with a friend for a couple of days. People do home exchanges when they go on holiday, so why not do the same with friends just for a weekend? Even if they live nearby, the surroundings will be different enough to get you out of your rut.