“The boldness of asking deep questions may require unforeseen flexibility if we are to accept the answers.” 

– Brian Greene, Theoretical Physicist

• • • 

If you’ve been a subscriber for a while (thank you!), you’ve probably heard us mention Flex Week. Three times a year, we ban meetings for a week so that our team can catch up on housekeeping items, top up on our professional development, focus on deep work, and more easily take time off.

Last week was our most recent Flex Week, and in our first team meeting back, we each shared our biggest takeaways from how we spent the flexible time. The lessons boil down to three key themes and apply to any role, from host to housekeeper to HR:

1. Challenge what you thought you knew.

Be ambitious but also real about the expectations you put on yourself, and be kind to yourself when you don’t accomplish your original to-do list. Try dividing your to-do list into must-dos and if time allows, or blow up your list entirely to start from scratch based on where your day takes you. 

2. Be open to new things.

Create space to be creative and get your head out of the weeds to think bigger; pressure test your habits and intentionally seek out new ones; and try to see things from new perspectives, especially when they are calling for rosier colored glasses. 

3. Take time for yourself.

Invest in you. Let go of guilt and remember that you’re not who you were five or 10 or 20 years ago – and that’s a good thing! Try new ways to take care of who you are today for who you want to be tomorrow.

Things like these sound good on paper (or in an email), but to discover what works best for you and your business, it takes a commitment like Flex Week – an intentional departure from the day-to-day to immerse yourself in a new world. 

As the seasons shift from peak to slow or vice versa, we invite you to adopt a Flex Week (or even just a Flex Day) of your own. What would you do if you woke up and all your meetings were canceled, and you had no urgent tasks?

Some ideas to start:

• Design your good neighbor policies with the help of this workbook, then audit your house rules and guest communications to make sure the important things guests need to know are communicated in a firm but friendly way

• Join your local alliance, explore its resources, and connect with a fellow local member

• Build your own professional development playlist and take it at your own pace

• Read for fun to reconnect with what inspired you to start hosting in the first place

• Audit your property(ies) and listings and harness opportunities to be more sustainable, accessible, and inclusive

If you try out flex time of any kind, we’d love to hear what you tried and learned! Join the conversation in our Facebook group to share.

Hot Off the Press

+ SHOUT-OUTS

🎉  Amy Bobrick of the Santa Fe STRA board for being featured in Reader Digest’s top 50 short-term rentals in the country for value, beauty, and ratings

🎉  Gordon Ledingham for leading the Santa Fe STRA on the path to sustainability by becoming a 501(c)(6)

🎉  Melissa Robin of the Hilton Head VRA board for action-focused leadership and driving community input

🎉  Janaya Goselin for creating the Good Neighbor Guide for Arizonans for Responsible Tourism and for leading AZRT’s recent member event, Preparation, Compliance, and Responsible Hosting: How You Can Prepare Following STR Bill SB1168

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