The importance of stepping back.

Go. Go Go.

That's how my mind is wired. I have a calendar loaded with meetings, an inbox overflowing with messages, notifications from slack and social media, and many things to do. Being busy isn't just a habit - it is an addiction chronically reinforced by algorithms, alerts, and notifications.

And yet - who expects that my best thinking and most profound new ideas for my business will come in the middle of the day when rushing between meetings?

The busier I get - the more I seem to think I can achieve. But with that business - I am more stressed, less productive, and less creative in my problem solving. To do my best work - I need time and space to think.

Breaking any habit is difficult - much more so when it is an addiction. And I think it is safe to say that if you are checking emails and slack within 30 seconds of waking up (with your phone waiting for you on the nightstand) you are pretty addicted to being busy too.

In the spirit of New Years and trying new resolutions - here are a few things to try this year to help regain some time and space to think.

Read this book

Shelly Paxton had what many would consider to be the coolest job of all time. She was the CMO at Harley Davidson and in her globe trotting career - she got to visit over 60 countries. And yet, at the peak of her twenty-six year marketing career - she walked away to embark on what she would later call a Soulbbatical - a profoundly personal journey to reconnect with her true purpose.

It's a pretty crazy story. But more important than the tale itself, the book offers questions after each section that you need to ask yourself. And while the book is a quick read - the questions make take a while to answer as you consider what your real priorities are.

Give yourself small blocks of time each week

There are two experiments that I am trying each week to protect my time to think.

Experiment #1 - I have blocked time during the day to practice mindfulness and meditation. Since I am new at this, I find guided meditation rather helpful.

I highly recommend the Calm App. Not only do they have various courses that guide me through breathing and meditation techniques - but they also have "Sleep Stories" that help to turn my mind off at the end of the day when I need to rest the most.

Experiment #2 - I have blocked meetings in my called called "Busy is the new stupid". These are 4 hour blocks of time that no one is allowed to book over with meetings or other to-dos. Even that small gift of time each week allows me to refocus on topics or priorities that would be hard to unpack otherwise. The urgent almost always crowds out the important.

Give yourself a day a month (and get out of the office)

Last year, I joined Vistage to spend at least time outside of the office with other CEOs. These people come from different industries and different domains - so I am regularly confronted with diverse opinions about my business and my problems to solve.

But I remember when I was evaluating the group, I asked how much of my precious time this group would take. And when our group's facilitator said that we would have 1 full day each month (plus time for 1:1 coaching each month) I laughed despite myself. I kindly explained there was no way I could give that much time to something like this - an entire day was rather time consuming. She blankly looked at me and said:

"If you can't spend 1 day a month outside of the office - you're doing it wrong."

(Photo credit to Evan Baylin: https://firstpagesage.com/seo-blog/reviews/vistage-worth-honest-review/)

I had to seriously consider how I was delegating, how I was prioritizing my time, and why I couldn't give myself this gift of time each month. Once I thought about how great it would be to have a day away, I signed up the following afternoon. For me - the value of the mental space for reflection and learning would change the graph above to be closer to 50%.

Give yourself a week a year and really push yourself to explore new ideas

Each year, I give myself a gift of time where I can be challenged by leaders in the industry. To do this right, I really take a step back (and about 30,000 steps forward) out in nature and away from the office.

This experience is called a "Walkshop" - a multi-day walking + leadership development experience. Literally thinking on my feet, this is an opportunity to walk out in nature and explore new ideas out in the open. Nice to let your legs and your mind wander, eh?

It is dedicated time for me to go off the grid with leaders in the industry, to push my limits and achieve something unique, to recharge while being offline, develop new leadership skills, and grow deeply human connections with these folks.

This experience has had a profound impact on my life and my business. Not only have I had some dedicated time with other dedicated leaders for advice and guidance - I have grown connections to new people who help hold me accountable. That time out in nature and away from the routine opens me up to explore new ideas and consider my journey more thoughtfully.

I love doing this so much that it is not only a new tradition in my life, it is also a new business for me. In 2019, Walkshop became its own small start up looking to connect leaders who want this time away and a global community to engage in. You can read about the upcoming 2020 Walkshop and apply to join below:

Give yourself a life changing block of time (3+ months away)

One of the hardest things to prioritize in your life is taking a sabbatical. As a parent with a mortgage, a board member, CEO, and founder of a new business- it seems almost impossible to imagine to do so now. Taking 3 months off - can you imagine?

And yet - I've done it twice before.

Each time I have taken a sabbatical in my life - upon later reflection - I've found it to have been life altering experience. In one case, I traveled and explored countries and cultures I had never seen before. Upon my eventual return to work - I made travel a priority in my life and worked in several other countries before settling down in the states.

In another sabbatical, I enjoyed time with my new baby and spend months learning what it was to be a first time father. In that time away, I thought about my changing life's priorities and how I wanted to be present as a parent in my child's life and in the community. When I returned to work - I ultimately changed jobs so I would not travel anymore and moved to a new community where we could put down some roots.

Each sabbatical gave me insights into my life that guided the next 7 years of my professional and personal development.

Just do something.

2020 is a good year for reflection. New year. New decade. And a chance to break old habits and bad addictions. Future generations will look back at our mobile phone addiction the way we look at old movies of people smoking all the time. "Don't they ever put those things down??"

The best way to break the addiction of being chronically busy is to force that time away and be still. However you manage it this year, stay calm, stay curious, and don't be so busy that you can't change your behavior.