Do You Have a Hideout?

Do you have a hideout? I don’t know about you, but like a lot of kids, I thought hiding out was fun — sometimes alone or other times with friends. It was cool to go somewhere — even under a blanket tent in the living room — to “hideout.” (Okay, just to be clear, the “blanket-tent” thing ended at about 10 years old, tempting though it may be these days!)

But even today it’s nice to have somewhere to go un-noticed. That’s not deep in the woods or cloistered in a monastery (although I understand that a number of monasteries offer retreat time to the public) — even a coffee shop will do.

Being able to “hideout” can be a great career move. Unplugging for a short while can refresh your perspective.

But hiding out doesn’t have to mean reading a book or writing that great American novel. It could be just as refreshing bringing one or two projects that require your focus and doing just that — focusing on something that’s a challenge in a fragmented day and coming away with a great sense of accomplishment.

So grab the biggest blanket in your house, anchor one end to the couch and the other to the overstuffed chair (What? Did you think I forgot?) and spend some time hiding out. Really, it’s a career move!