I’m writing this from my balcony in the Canaries.

The sun is rising, and there's a warm breeze.

And for the first time in months, I’m feeling properly relaxed.

No rush, no deadlines.

No buzzing phone and no interruptions.

Just space.

And that’s when it happens.

Not because I sit here forcing it, but because a rested mind starts to wander. It joins the dots I couldn’t see before. It plays with new possibilities. It asks the bigger questions.

I call it “thinking time.”

I’ve had some of my best ideas in moments like this.

Not at a desk. Not in a meeting. But sat quietly, with space to breathe.

And I know this week has already given me the seeds of projects that could be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds over the coming years.

Of course, scribbling notes on a balcony isn’t what makes the money.

It’s coming home refreshed, with the energy and focus to actually put those ideas into practice.

That’s the real return on investment.

If my accountant could put a number on the value of these breaks, I’d argue HMRC should make them tax deductible! (Though I doubt I’ll win that one.)

Here’s the thing though: if you don’t give yourself proper thinking time, those game-changing ideas may never appear.

So, the question is, where’s your place?

The spot that gives your mind room to roam and dream a little?

Because that is where your breakthroughs live.

It’s one of the core things I teach inside Impact Retail Success Club, because “thinking time” is where the real magic happens for any business.

Consciously-unconsciously creating the space to ask better questions and spark better answers.

Have a great week,

Mark