Whenever I give a seminar on Personal Retreat Days, I remind participants that there’s no single “right” way to do a PRD. The overarching goal is to set aside time for inner conversation, but details of how to achieve that vary widely from person to person. Here are a few examples that prove that anyone can make a Personal Retreat Day work for their lifestyle and goals.

Jenna: The PRD Purist

Jenna recently shared the story of her PRD experience on Instagram and on her blog, ItsGoodForYa. I love her summary: “What’s a personal retreat day? A PRD is a day to look inward, reflect, and measure goals in a number of areas of our lives.” Jenna was able to devote an entire day to her PRD, and she followed my suggestions to a T. Her blog describes in detail how she put it into practice. She made an hour-by-hour schedule with a mix of activities including meditation, a mindful walk, yoga, reading, reflecting, creating, and restful breaks. Part of her day was devoted to filling out the PRD Assessment Grid, a tool which helps you reflect, dream, and plan. Jenna is obviously a master at graphic design – she created a beautiful version of the grid which you can download from her blog. Go check it out!

Not everyone can commit to a comprehensive Personal Retreat Day like Jenna’s, but not to worry. As the next example shows, you can still put PRDs into practice when life gets busy.

Shay: The PRD Minimalist

Shay’s life is full to say the least. She has a satisfying career as an event planner and is also a caregiver for her spouse who has mobility challenges. It’s difficult for her to step away for an hour, let alone an entire day. But Shay didn’t let that stop her! She thought outside of the box and realized she could still enjoy the benefits of Personal Retreat Days in smaller doses. 

Shay reported: “Personal Retreat Days (PRD) have uplifted me. I have transformed my PRD into Personal Retreat Moments (PRM). I knew that it would be tough to dedicate an entire day based on my circumstances as a caregiver spouse. A moment, however, is possible! Right now, my personal retreat moment is going for a walk (rare). I challenge myself to have a conversation with myself (rare again). I hide my cell phone (mega rare). Detached digitally. Attached internally. I would turn my thoughts inward and reflect on my life while enjoying the sensations of sound, color, smell and feels. I am grateful for this moment. I look forward to incorporating more PRM in my life.” If you think you’re too busy for a Personal Retreat Day, remember Shay and incorporate Personal Retreat Moments into your life.

The PRD Processor

Craig reached out to me after a FieldTrip I did with CreativeMornings last year to thank me for something I said that struck home to him: “We don’t take time to record the meanings of experiences.” At the time, the Black Lives Matter movement was in full swing, the election was looming, and Craig desperately needed some alone time to process. He was able to take a Personal Retreat Day during a Men’s Conference to do some deep soul-searching. Craig recorded five takeaways from his time reflecting on the nation, people of color, and proactivity – and he graciously granted me permission to share his wisdom here:

1. You can see voting as an option, or voting as an obligation.
2. To vote is to focus on other people than myself.
3. Bullets are fired before communications happen to deescalate when it comes to black people.
4. The only way we are going to affect change, we have to keep conversations going, even if it’s disagreeable it should be respectable.
5. We have to keep the dialog going on so that you can understand why this person feels this way.

I love that Craig was able to carve out some time to process important events and attach meaning to them. Reflecting and journaling are vital components of Personal Retreat Days. Like Craig, set aside time each month for meaningful inner conversation.