A Think Week For Me!

Just yesterday I read an article about the Bill Gates "think week" in the "Wall Street Journal". If you don't know what I am talking about, here is the story. Apparently, Bill Gates, each year, twice a year, sets aside one week to do nothing but read up on interesting ideas, papers, concepts put together by Microsoft employees from around the world and think about them. Any one can contribute. Even a janitor in India can send in a paper, and if it makes past the "idea police", then Bill will read it. So Bill sets aside one week, secludes himself in a small cabin in the woods away from phone calls and family instrusions, to go over this pile of papers to think, and jot down his thoughts. If an idea is truly hot, the writer/creator can expect to hear from Bill. And if Bill approves of an idea, then you can expect to get the funds needed to move it forward.

Conceptually, this is such a great idea for a leader of any large organization that I am surprised I had never heard of this before. I have heard of the executives meeting, but haven't heard of a CEO secluding himself to just "think". But this makes even more of a sense for me as an individual. Yes, why can I not have a "think week" of my own?

Granted I don't run a multi billion dollar company, and don't have lackeys throwing their ideas at me. But I have plenty to think about. Here is a list of what I need time to think, and have never enough of...
1) I need to think about the direction in which my life is headed. My life has sort of gotten on an auto pilot. I am slowly moving in some direction - what direction I don't know. I need some time to think about it
2) I need to think about my finances...what the hell happened to the portfolio?
3) I need to start thinking about what I will do after I retire from my lousy job.
4) I need to think about my daughters education - private or public; Princeton or Rutgers!
5) And oh, I need to think about how I am going to build another room around our house that my wife's always complains is too small.

So, yes I DO have a lot to think about but no time to think!!

But here is the catch. If I blow a week on "think", then I will have thunked one week of my vacation time! Thats pretty precious vacation time when your family hardly gets to see you during the week.

So am I a bit jealous of Bill because of his "think week"? You betcha!