Time to Yourself

Say what you want about Bill Gates and his company, but there is at least one brilliant idea the former Microsoft CEO was known for.Twice a year, Gates would schedule a "Think Week." He would disappear to a remote location, surround himself with reading material (and, reportedly, a huge stash of Diet Orange Crush), and he would spend an entire week alone, reading and thinking, without interruption.

You don't need to be a nerdy billionaire to do this. Just spend one week away from the distractions of life, surround yourself with thought-provoking reading material, and spend every day of that week absorbing as much of it as you can. These are the kinds of conditions that will lead you generate valuable new concepts and ideas for your clients.

Can't get an entire week alone? Then schedule a Think Weekend, or even a Think Day.The real currency we have as writers is our ideas, so give yourself an annual or twice-annual Thinking Retreat, and I believe you'll come up the better for it.