In the words of Uncle Ben: “With great power comes great responsibility”; and with great responsibility comes great anxiety. As FORTUNE magazine has reported, typical CEOs work 59 hours a week. Managing the company as a CEO can be horridly hectic and surprisingly demanding and great managers know that their attitude at work will be reflected by that of their team. So, if you are frazzled or stressed out, your staff will pick up on this. To reduce your stress level, you need to relax. Wondering how you can do that? Well, here are five options for you:
- A Luxury Holiday at Richard Branson’s home and favorite hideaway – Necker Island. It is open as a luxury retreat and is available for a private hire. This 74-acre island paradise is located in the British Virgin Islands, in the Caribbean. To rent the whole island for yourself and your guests for a week will cost you a mere $380,000, which does not include flights, boats and other amenities. Surround yourself with the blue Caribbean sea and its never-ending views.
- Go Golfing – Golf is the most preferred outdoor sports by CEOs and there is no better place than Augusta National Golf Club to practice your favorite sport. You will need a lot of cash and decorum to get into that green jacket of this incredibly exclusive golf club.
- Reading retreat, take your learning break – After interviewing more than 100 fortune 500 CEOs, authors Louis E. Boone, David L. Kurtz, and C. Patrick Fleenor found that reading is the No. 1 hobby of CEOs. Devour the books you kept aside for reading later, get away from the clutches of Internet and reliable cell phone reception and venture into seclusion and tranquility with your favorite books.. The Dune House in Thorpness, Sufflok, UK is a splendid reading retreat. The Norweigian architecture of the house will make it hard not to let out a gasp of admiration. While the glass walls allow the panoramic view of the sea, the sliding panels give you easy access to the beach.
- Watch the Game: How many times have you thought of going to the game and pushed it for later! This is a great way to relax if you cannot afford taking a week off from work. Get the tickets and watch the game – cheer and shout, let your emotions flow and forget about the calls and the meetings for few hours.
- Get physical: Exercise is a great stress buster. You can start running on the treadmill or start with a walk, if you have not exercised for a long time. Take a walk alone or with your dog, but do not let your smartphone accompany you. Instead, you can think about ways to relax in the era of smartphones.
- Charity: A good way to come out of your world and realize others’ problems is by doing charitable work. You can make valuable contribution towards the betterment of other’s lives through charity. It also makes you realize that your problems are not the biggest or the worst in the world.
- Stay home and watch TV – If you did not like any of the options above then you might consider staying in your 8-bedroom 25 bathroom home (if you are Bills Gates, that is) and watching TV!
Prof. Rosabeth Moss Kanter wrote in Harvard Business Review Blog: “Pauses refresh, and recharging is essential to long-term success. Everyone needs down-time to renew, reenergize and re-bind with family”. So instead of getting sand on your cell phone while multi tasking on the beach, pause, refresh and come with fresh ideas to work.
