Unlock 3-5 Months of Results in Just 3-5 Days: The Benefits of "Growth Trips" 🏝️
Issue #27 : What is Growth Trips. Tips to Plan Your Next Growth Trips.
So far, I have done over a half-dozen growth trips.
During these Growth Trips, I achieved 3-5 months of results in just 3-5 days of focused efforts.
What are Growth Trips?
Growth Trips are different from our typical family vacations; they are more intentional and purpose-driven.
If you are an introvert or high-achiever (or both), this is the kind of vacation/break you want (and love) to go.
I recently discovered that even Bill Gates has a version called Think Week, where he escapes with a bag full of books for contemplation and learning.
Here's how it works:
Step #1: Pick a Purpose
Think about what you want to learn, improve, love, or accomplish in your life that has been pushed down in priority. That could be the purpose of your Growth Trip.
Few examples:
Book reading trips
Writing trips
Meditation Retreat
Yoga Retreat
Spiritual Learning
Business Strategy
Relationship Workshop
Annual review and reflections
Figuring out your life’s purpose and values
Making big life decisions
Step #2: Pick a Place
Choose a hotel, Airbnb, course, or retreat center where you can concentrate on this objective and also feel genuinely excited about the place.
Here are a few suggestions for places to go in USA:
Library Hotel in New York → Yeah, it’s pretty cool for reading and writing trips)
Isha Institute of Inner-Sciences in Tenessee → For yoga, meditation, and spiritual trips.
Summer Mill Retreat & Conference Center in Belton, Texas (an hour north of Austin) → For reading, writing, working, and learning.
Gateway Cabin → This is on my list for my next reading trip.
Step #3: Plan and Prepare
If you're into the idea and ready to give it a shot, I say go for it and start planning your next adventure right away.
Once you’ve got it all set and marked on your calendar, it's basically a done deal. Otherwise, finding the "perfect" time could drag on forever.
Decide which books you want to read if it's a reading trip.
Decide which topics you want to write if it's a writing trip.
If you aim to learn something new, figure out which skills you're after. If you're planning to learn online, grab those courses ahead of time.
Don’t hesitate to ask around in your circle for course recommendations or programs to boost your skills. (And hey, I’m here if you need a couple of ideas too!)
Few Tips:
Taking a day off and staying home to focus may be less effective. Consider traveling to a new city or place. If you can't leave your city, find a nice Airbnb or hotel.
Avoid outside communication and distractions. Immerse yourself in the experience and location.
Try to do a few solo trips and a few with family, friends, and coworkers.
If it’s reading or writing trips, plan in advance the books you want to read and topics you want to write on.
I also listen to audiobooks on my walk during the trip or before these growth trips, and then I reread the actual book, take notes, do highlights, and take action on some of the learnings from these books.
Grab some time for long walks. Whether you’re wrestling with a problem or just pondering life, let your mind wander and watch the dots connect themselves.
Create a good routine, so you are not spending too much time deciding what to do. Here is an example of my daily routine from one of the growth trips.
A few pictures of my past growth trips
The whole point of these Growth Trips is to deliberately set aside time for things that'll contribute to your growth and fulfill your goals.
Reflect on what you want to learn, enhance, love, or achieve in your life that's been on the back burner. That's what your Growth Trip could be all about.
👋 Anil
Keep Learning + Growing 🪴
If you liked reading this, feel free to click the ❤️ button on this post so more people can discover it on Substack. 🙏