6 Lessons I Learned on My Summer Vacation

When we left for Pine Point Beach in Maine for a few days of R&R, I had high hopes of doing some research I’d been wanting to do in between relaxing on the beach and generally chilling out.

That was Tuesday.

On Sunday, I was shocked to realize our time away was slipping like sand through an hourglass. I completed only about ¼ of my research and didn’t really start relaxing until Friday. Clearly my plans and my execution were not in sync.

So I settled on the beach to think about the lessons I was learning. After an hour or so of soaking up the sunshine, here’s the list I came up with:

1. A biggie — time blocking on vacation is as important as at the office. Duh. Otherwise I would have made a bigger dent in my research.
2. Meditation works, especially on the beach — That’s how I finally started relaxing on Friday. There’s something soothing about the relentless ocean surf and the feel of the sand between your toes. The 55 degree salt water is another story, though.
3. Be a plover — Keep everyone at least 200 feet away from you when you are doing something critical to your well-being. Note the picture?
4. Proactively balancing life and work is critical — Running your own business has its up sides and down sides. When you’re on vacation… and you check email… and your client has a crisis… it’s impossible not to respond. At least that’s what we told ourselves all week.
5. Don’t depend on wifi — See #4. Wifi at the beach is unpredictable so the time you spend getting creative with technology extends your work time and erodes your relax time. Bummer.
6. Where to find the best lobster rolls in Maine — these two places are, hands down, the best in the Pine Point and Scarborough Maine area. Well worth the 2 hour drive from Central Mass - make it a fun day trip!
   • Order your choice of six different variations of lobster rolls, along with other yummies, at the Lobster Roll truck in Fort William Park. You can find their menu and schedule here. I’m a traditionalist - I recommend the ‘Maine’ version, although Dom said the ‘Picnic’ was delicious too.
   • For a hand-picked, made-to-order, super-size lobster roll, try out the Pine Tree Seafood & Produce market on Rt. 1 in Scarborough. They make shrimp and Maine crab rolls too. All delicious!

That’s what I learned on my summer vacation. Now the question is… will the lessons stick or will I have to ‘learn’ them all over again next summer?