Last week, the entire 37signals team went to York Harbor, Maine for three days. (We stayed at The York Harbor Inn.)

So what happens at a 37signals company trip to Maine? We talk about what we’ve done and what we’re about to do. We have breakout sessions to work on projects in small teams. We eat lobster. David talks about racing cars. Joshua plays flamenco guitar. We watch SNL clips. Ryan teaches us how to meditate. Jamis explains how to use an abacus. Jamie shows some of his fave ‘80s skateboard art. Sarah gives us a lesson on banjos. And more.

Plus, there’s rock balancing on the beach. Lots of rock balancing.



Why the random subjects listed above? We decided to let everyone give two different talks. One on work stuff, one on whatever. Here was the setup:

The first 15 minute talk will be on 37signals. What would you like to see us do next year? What sort of things would you like to work on next year? What do you think we can do a better job on? What’s good and what’s bad? Where are we failing? Where are we kicking ass? Everything is fair game. This is your chance to get good/bad/other off your mind.

The second 15 minutes will be about something else entirely. You’ll teach or talk on something that has nothing to do with work. If you’re into butterflies, tell us something interesting about butterflies. If you’re into golf, what’s fascinating about golf? Got a hobby that you just love? Tell us about what you love about it. Share whatever you’re finding interesting these days. Let’s all expand our horizons a bit.

During our typical one-day meetings, this sorta stuff isn’t possible. It was definitely nice to have the extra time to stretch out.

Music in video: “Captain Bacardi” by Antonio Carlos Jobim (Album: Wave)