• Link to Facebook
  • Link to X
  • Link to LinkedIn
  • Link to Youtube
  • Link to Instagram
  • Shopping Cart Shopping Cart
    0Shopping Cart
Renee Trudeau
  • About
  • Speaking
  • Blog
  • Events
  • Self Renewal Groups
  • Books & Audio
  • Contact
  • Menu Menu

6 tips for taking a personal retreat

Featured, Life Balance, Women's Retreats, Work Life Balance
woman journaling

This month I have been managing so many moving pieces — working on our new web site, training new team members, booking new speaking engagements and workshops, vetting new partnerships–that I have found it hard just to hear myself think. So recently, instead of continuing to plow through all the pressing to-do’s in my inbox, I rebelliously closed my computer, unplugged and took an entire day off to get quiet and go inward for guidance and direction.

woman journaling

When I lead women’s retreats, I share with the participants that one of my primary intentions for doing so is to create the space for them to hear and see what they most need to hear and see about their lives.

One of the ways I do this for myself is by pausing regularly and taking what I call “personal planning retreats.”

I take personal retreats–usually every 90 days–to sit with the questions, “What is uniquely mine to do?” and “What is the best use of my energy and talents in the next two-three months?” (Whether that’s focusing on my marriage, working on a new business partnership or getting my financial house in order.)

More than ever, we’re feeling over-committed, over-scheduled and exhausted (not to mention the stress we’re feeling from all the political and societal shifts we’re experiencing). We’re trying to do too much. A personal planning retreat is a great way to pause, pull back and get clear on what matters most. You may want to spend this time getting clear on what in your personal or professional life is calling for your attention and thinking about how you want to allocate your time, energy and resources in the next 90 days (I find this much less overwhelming than looking at an entire year).

A good place to start is by making a list of what activities in your life currently fuel you (which ones give you energy, nurture you, make you come alive) and what activities drain you (create a physical tightness or discomfort in your back, belly or neck every time they cross your consciousness). Often these drains are things like a financial issue that must be handled, a tough conversation that has been postponed, a disorganized space at work or at home or a career or job issue that needs to be addressed.

I like to approach these drains with a housecleaning mindset, giving myself three options for handling these energy zaps:
1.I can “just do it” —and set a deadline for when I’ll complete the project
2.I can delegate it—and ask for help if needed or outsource the task
3.I can dump it—and walk away from this task or decide it isn’t going to happen (at least not this year!)

During your personal retreat, you can revisit old goals or dreams, enlist books for inspiration (see my life balance books The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal and Nurturing the Soul of Your Family for great exercises), draw from our sister company Career Strategists Inspiration Café, journal, draw/paint or create a collage from magazine images that represents your vision for how you want to experience the next three months.

Design a day or weekend that inspires you and helps you gain clarity and focus, but trust your intuition; this isn’t a race and you won’t be graded! A primary goal of this retreat is to give your analytical thinking a rest and give your creativity and your “Wise Self” the opportunity to speak. Some tips to help you get the most from your retreat:

•Set aside a day or a weekend void of all distractions (a minimum of eight hours is ideal, but even 4 hours is great).
•You may want to make this a personal retreat and be alone or you may decide to attend a guided group retreat; it depends on your current needs and life stage. I do both. Some of my favorite retreat centers are Kripalu, Omega, Esalen and 1440.
•Choose a location that is inspiring and conducive to contemplation—a quiet park or natural setting; a friend’s vacant house; a retreat, yoga or spa center or even a quiet coffeehouse are good places to go (but get out of your own house!).
•Unplug, reflect and ditch your agenda. Dream and be open to new possibilities and new ways of being. Ask with compassion and kindness, “What would be the best use of my energy and focus in the next 90–or even 30–days?”
•Do less, have fun and make this your own. One of our clients sat and stared at a tree for hours, watching a bird’s nest being constructed and experienced some big ah-has. When relaxed and playful, our brains can yield amazing creative solutions.
•Get the time on your calendar NOW! Otherwise it won’t happen. Think this sounds impossible? Well, if not now, then when?

You may, like me, decide to take a personal retreat each quarter.  These planned respites are a wonderful, nurturing way for you to invest in yourself and your future. My favorite personal mantra is from stillness comes discernment.

I’D LOVE TO SUPPORT YOU–THREE UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES: 

women's retreat

Cathedral Park at the Bishop Jones Center where our May 10th 9-4 New Way of Being Mother’s Day weekend retreat will be held. Register now!

  • Hire me to plan/facilitate a custom workshop or retreat for your company, team or organization on life balance, resiliency or self-renewal in 2019-2020. I’ve been speaking professionally for 25+ years on work-life balance and managing your energy.  My clients include Fortune 500 companies, national conferences, nonprofits and organizations. Learn more and email me at workshops at reneetrudeau dot com with questions.
  • Craving authentic community and want to find (or create) your tribe? Learn more about our global sisterhood of RTA-Certified Facilitators  and empower/support women in your community! More here on how to become a RTA-Certified Facilitator and join our inner circle ($100 off through 2/28 for training; learn more + includes private coaching with me).
  • Just announced! Join me May 1oth from 9-4 in San Antonio, TX at the stunning, peaceful, 19-acre Cathedral Park at the Bishop Jones Center for our New Way of Being: Women’s Self-Renewal Retreat (Mother’s Day Weekend); check out the bring-a-friend specials. Learn more.

Subscribe here to Live Inside Out, a weekly blog written by life balance coach/author/speaker Renée Peterson Trudeau. Passionate about helping men and women experience balance through the art/science of self-care, her work has appeared in The New York Times, Good Housekeeping, US News & World Report, Spirituality & Health and more. Thousands of women in ten countries are becoming RTA-Certified Facilitators and leading/joining self-renewal groups based on her award-winning self-care curriculum.  She is the author of three books on life balance and mindfulness including the award-winning The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and 16-year-old son. More on her background here.

~Did this post speak to you? Please support your friends and family and share it!~

February 11, 2019/by renee
Tags: women's retreat; personal planning retreat;
Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on X
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share by Mail
https://reneetrudeau.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/6-tips-for-taking-a-personal-retreat_1024-e1570498625999.jpg 400 600 renee https://reneetrudeau.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/renee_trudeau_logo_tagline.png renee2019-02-11 17:07:062019-10-07 19:37:196 tips for taking a personal retreat

Subscribe to my blog

 

 

Search Search

Archives

Categories

Popular Blog Posts

Want to Prioritize Self-Care? 3 Ways to Begin

5 Reasons to Take a Retreat (+ DIY tips)

6 Things to Do When the Going Gets Tough

Self-Care = Meeting Yourself Where You Are

Connection = Medicine for the Body, Mind & Soul

Pause. Are You Honoring Your Sacred Journey?

3 Ways to Practice Self-Compassion

Is Your Pace Humane? 8 Ways to Slow Down

Sign up and receive my meditation on How To Start Your Day Intentionally.

My inspiring Tuesday emails provide timely life balance tools to help you soar through your week, plus receive pre-invites to our sell-out events.

Sign up and receive my meditation on How To Start Your Day Intentionally.

My inspiring Tuesday emails provide timely life balance tools to help you soar through your week, plus receive pre-invites to our sell-out events.

Get In Touch

info@reneetrudeau.com

Popular Blog Posts

Want to Prioritize Self-Care? 3 Ways to Begin

5 Reasons to Take a Retreat (+ DIY tips)

6 Things to Do When the Going Gets Tough

Self-Care = Meeting Yourself Where You Are

Connection = Medicine for the Body, Mind & Soul

Pause. Are You Honoring Your Sacred Journey?

3 Ways to Practice Self-Compassion

Is Your Pace Humane? 8 Ways to Slow Down

Upcoming Events

May 1-31st ~*DOWNLOAD TODAY!* Secrets to Facilitating Life-Changing Women’s Groups/Retreats in Uncertain Times ~ a self-paced video training course. Are you passionate about empowering other women in your area?  $195 for a limited time. Learn more.

September 19 – 21st ~ Soul Tending: Cultivating Grace, Power and Intuition ~ A Women’s Self-Renewal Retreat at The Art of Living Retreat Center in Boone, NC. Register here.

October 24 – 26th ~ Soul Tending: Cultivating Grace, Power and Intuition at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in the Berkshire Mountains, MA. Packages start at just $635. Register here.

Part-Time Communications Coordinator (starting Aug. 2025). Learn more/apply.

Fall 2025 Women’s Empowerment Communications Internship. Interviewing now; learn more.

© 2025 Renée Trudeau. Privacy Policy + Terms of Use
  • Link to Facebook
  • Link to X
  • Link to LinkedIn
  • Link to Youtube
  • Link to Instagram
  • About
  • Speaking
  • Blog
  • Events
  • Self Renewal Groups
  • Books & Audio
  • Contact
  • Facilitator Login
  • My Account
Scroll to top Scroll to top Scroll to top

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

OKLearn more

Cookie and Privacy Settings



How we use cookies

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

Essential Website Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

Google Analytics Cookies

These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience.

If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here:

Other external services

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Google reCaptcha Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

Other cookies

The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them:

Privacy Policy

You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page.

Privacy Policy
Accept settingsHide notification only