Tag Archives: Workation

Wouldn’t it be nice to have your office in the Himalayas?

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Working in the himalayas

Every day I see people working hard in congested cities, breathing bad air, and under a lot of stress.  Sometimes I think, wouldn’t it be nice to have an office in the Himalayas?  Sure, its hard to run a business from Dehradun, or Darjeeling, but what if employees could have a two week “Workation” where they could work, and then enjoy tours.  It would be a nice breather to get out of their Software company in Bangalore, or their Mumbai call center.

Travel rejuvinates
Personally, I find it stressful to be in the same place too long. I need to move around.  But, sometimes its fun to do your regular work, in a place that is not regular for you. Imagine being in a cabin in the woods with good internet connectivity, and you could work from there.  You would have lunch in a completely different place and see different sites, feel a different feeling, and meet different people. Its very refreshing, and good for worker morale.

The vibe in different places
One thing to consider is that the vibrations in different parts of the world is very striking. I’m speaking of metaphysical vibrations that you sense, but don’t necessarily “feel”.   Some places are lazy places, where you will feel lazy upon entering. Some are frenetic, where its hard to concentrate. Others have an adventurous energy, where you will want to hike in the wilderness.  For working, its good to have a place where you can concentrate and have a lot of drive too. Sometimes, if you are in a downtown of a big city like Mumbai, Los Angeles, or Bangalore, you will feel driven to work all the time, because that energy is in the environment.  But, what about the mountains?

Are the mountains good for work, or only for spirituality?
When people think of the Himalayas, they think of a mystical place where you might want to meditate, or go on a long hike with a sherpa and eat some Nepali mo-mo dumplings. Parts of the himalayas are considered the best places in the world to meditate because the atmosphere is so light metaphysically.  Deeper meditations will be easier there.  Since there is not much going on, there is no influx of work or stress vibrations in the mountains.   No wars have been fought there, so there is no vibration of murder either.  But, can people concentrate and get lots of work done in the mountains?  The answer is that it depends on the mountains.  I have been to many mountains and some of them have a good work energy, while others have a lazy energy.
 

The only way to assess is to spend a few days in a place and see how you feel.  Do you feel like working or not?

Building an office
I think it would be wonderful to have companies building offices in the mountains.  Employees could spend a month per year up there in shifts and enjoy clean air and a good environment while they did their software, accounting, legal outsourcing, or whatever other job they did.  This would be expensive to build and transport people, so it would be for higher skilled staff members.  I think that an office with beautiful views of trees, landscapes, and people who can bring you samosas and chai would be perfect.  Dormatories could be walking distance from the offices, to allow more time to focus on work and other activities.

My only regret
I just hope that building offices in the mountains doesn’t disturb the metaphysical vibration of the place.  Sometimes its better to enjoy a place for what it is without implanting your own “stress-trons”, or other non-physical forms of pollution.  Garbage and chemical pollution are equally serious and detremental, so lets keep the world clean, especially the mountains.  On the other hand, maybe offices in the mountains would build a harmony of productivity and the nurturing essense of nature.

What is a microvacation?

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What is a microvacation and why you should take one.

There are various types of vacations that a person could take. You could stay at home, go to a resort, go

to a foreign country, or just camp by a lake. These days there are more innovative types of breaks called “Workations,” “Twittercations,” and now there are “Microvacations” (not to be confused with Nanovacations.

It is hard for busy working people to get away.
You can’t take a one week or two week break whenever you feel like it. You need to be all done with your work and your meetings before you can seriously take time off. But, what if your work load just doesn’t end? There needs to be a system for dealing with that. Stress can pile up, and the stress doesn’t care if you have time for a break or not. You need a microvacation.

What is a microvacation?
A regular vacation could be a week or more, generally in a far away and hopefully relaxing or rejuvinating place. Or, it might be an interesting place with lots of sightseeing which could be refreshing albeit tiring. But, a microvacation is something that lasts only a few hours. It is not even as long as a mini-vacation or day trip. No, a microvacation is only a few hours at best.

Recommendations for quality microvacations?
The beauty of a microvacation is that they are low in cost. You don’t need to book hotels, and you don’t need to pay for expensive cabs, or airfare. Since a microvacation is so short, they are by definition nearby where you live. By my personal definition, a microvacation could be taken anywhere from thirty minutes to three hours from where you live. You simply drive to your destination, and then enjoy your activity. The point of a microvacation is to take you away from your regular stressful environment into a refreshing place. What you actually do is secondary providing that it rejuvinates you. Natural places are what I would recommend for a microvacation.

Where do I go for my microvacations?
I like the coast at sunset. I’ll often go for an hour or two. I will read blogs on my i-phone, or enjoy a quick meal at a coastal restaurant. The ocean vibration refreshes my mind and body, so that when I go back to work, I can function better with less stress. Sometimes I’ll visit the desert for a few hours as well. That is a longer drive, but it does miracles to boost my energy. Or, I’ll visit a local forest that relaxes me and boosts my energy. Use caution, because not all natural places will have the same effect on you. Choose places that you notice a definitive change in your mood or energy after you go there. Take notes on how you feel before and after each place, and go more than once to document your average net boost in energy or lowering of stress.

How often should I take a microvacation?
I would recommend a microvacation two or three times a week if you want to be able to work at optimal performance at your job. The weekend can be used for a longer microvacation that might require eight hours away from home. Shorter trips can be done after work during the week.