While writing my new book I gathered stories from people just like you who are using the power of Personal Retreat Days (PRDs) to design their lives one month at a time. As I listened to these stories, one common theme surprised me. Over and over again, people told me that when they started committing to a full day once a month, their lives changed dramatically. Occasional PRDs sprinkled throughout the year didn’t result in lasting change, nor did short PRDs of just an hour or two. The people who truly transformed were those who followed my “best practices” formula:
Invest one full day every month to do three things:
rest from striving,
reflect on the previous month, and
reorient to the month ahead
I share these success stories in my upcoming book: a busy mom who started a business while maintaining work-life balance, a woman who created her dream job in her 40s, a successful life coach who used retreat days to dig in to juicy work projects on a deeper level, and a retiree who designed the next chapter of life with purpose and passion. All of them reported that committing to a regular, full day rhythm of rest and reflection once a month, every month, was the key.
I was so intrigued by the data that I looked back at my own Personal Retreat Days to see if this pattern held true for me. My PRD journal helped me quickly and easily identify how long I spent and exactly what I did on each of my retreat days, as well as progress on the goals I’d set for each quarter and month.
While I do consistently take a PRD every month, I don’t always take an entire day. As I tracked the results of my PRDs, I noticed that when I gave myself two or three hours instead of a full day, I just didn’t see the same benefit that I did when I allowed for a complete day of rest, reflection and reorientation. I didn’t have clarity on my next steps, and the next month simply wasn’t as fulfilling.
Here’s what I believe to be true: when you spend one day a month in intentional and meaningful thought about your best path forward, you are not losing that day, you are not wasting that day, you are investing that day for a future reward. Believe me, you are not going to “fall behind” by taking this day off. You’ll actually gain forward momentum by identifying things in your life that aren’t benefitting you. You’ll cut them out of your life so you can focus on what truly matters. You’ll eliminate time-wasters and you’ll disentangle from toxic relationships that are holding you back. You’ll plan your next month with confidence, knowing exactly where you want to be and what steps you will take to get there.
Still not convinced?
I have an invitation and a challenge for you!
First, the challenge: Personally experience the power of Personal Retreat Days by committing to an entire day once a month for the last 5 months of 2025. Put them on your calendar and protect them, no matter what. It’s that easy!
Now, the invitation, which will help keep you accountable to the challenge: I’m offering a free monthly online gathering called the Radical Reset. This series of zoom sessions will help you finish the year strong by encouraging and equipping you in your Personal Retreat Day journey. The format combines encouragement, instruction, immersive experience, and accountability: If you’ve taken one of my “Rest-Shop” workshops, some elements will be similar: I’ll lead you in a few restful activities and help you reflect on the previous month and reorient to the month ahead. What’s new: I’ll add a moment of inspiration and practical action steps to encourage you to experience the transformational power of a FULL Personal Retreat Day. (In other words, I’ll give you a gentle kick in the pants!)
The Radical Reset sessions will challenge you to firmly commit to your well-being and personal growth, and the group dynamic will help hold us accountable to one another. Remember, this is a free opportunity open to all, so invite a friend or two to join you.
Sessions will be the first Monday of every month: 8/4, 9/1, 10/6, 11/3, and 12/1. I hope you’ll join me for one, two, or all five! It’s not necessary to schedule your own PRD on the same date as the workshops, but do schedule one whole day each and every month to devote to rest, reflection, and reorientation.
Register and sign up to get reminders HERE.