The first week of January is a pivotal time. Many people use this time making hollow resolutions that they won’t carry out for the remainder of the month, much less to the end of the year. That’s why I decided to get out of town and set the tone of productivity for 2016 as quickly as possible.

My marketing assistant Alex and I packed our bags and headed to Asheville, NC for the first week of January 2016, where we VRBO’d (if that wasn’t a verb, it is now!) a house to live and work out of for the week. With some sandwich fixings and an extra computer monitor in hand, we were set to make the most out of our week. We brainstormed campaigns, made connections, finished projects, and got closer as a team.

Here are 4 suggestions on how to make a workation work for you.

1. Go somewhere relaxing.

Image courtesy of Instagram user @hiptobebaio

Getting away from your daily interruptions is one of the most important parts of taking a workation. Without the chatter of your normal routine in your head, you have the ability to unlock a potential that you may have not be able to fully grasp at home. That being said, be conscious about being somewhere with more distractions.

Don’t take a workation somewhere you’ve been dying to visit, where your extracurricular agenda is a mile long. You’re there to get work done. Pick a place where you can get in your zone. Somewhere you’ll be more focused.

Consider a smaller city or area that comes with some peaceful scenery! For us, it was refreshing to wake up every morning and see the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.

2. Bring a buddy!

As cliched as it is, two brains really are better than one.

With Alex (my marketing assistant) by my side, I had someone to delegate tasks to, bounce ideas off of, and get creative with. It also helps to be able to talk through an issue if only for being able to organize your own ideas. You’ll also likely end up with a new perspective or process from the conversation. You may be surprised what you’re able to learn and create with just the access to another brain!

3. Use resources to your advantage. 

Every city has innovative and creative people. Try to set meetings with people in your industry and make connections that would’ve otherwise been unavailable to you. Having face to face conversations with not-so-familiar faces can help stimulate the idea process to help ignite opportunities and give new life to old ideas.

See if your workation’s locale has any industry-related events happening during your stay. Maybe sit in on a workshop or attend a local networking event. Even though it’s not home base, you can benefit immensely from making connections.

IMAGE COURTESY OF HAYO,CO | ARTICLE ABOUT 6 BEST PRACTICES TO NETWORK WHILE TRAVELING

4. Live a little!

Work + vacation = workation. Remember to have some fun! Although you are there to get things done, you’ll actually be more productive. Let loose a little while you're there. Make sure to schedule some down time in your busy work schedule. Tick a couple things off your to-do list for that city! 

A workation can do a world of good. The progress that my marketing assistant and and I were able to make over our week workation was a great way to start off the New Year. If you have the flexibility, a workation can result in amazing progress, collaboration, and connection. Shake the dust off your regular work environment and mix it up! Travel somewhere where you think you’ll get things done and bring along a work partner if you can. Take full advantage of your time and the resources around you and have a little fun while you’re at it!

We had fun listening to live music with a couple glasses of wine at 5 Walnut Wine Bar in downtown Asheville!

Ever been on a workcation? Where’d you go? How did it work for you? Let me know in the comments!