Why Disconnecting Can Make You More Productive

In this series, professionals share their secrets to being more productive. Read the posts here, then write your own (use #ProductivityHacks in the body).

I recently went on a vacation to the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. My wife and I were celebrating a friend’s big birthday along with three other couples, and we spent four days hiking, cycling, and kayaking. It was also four days with pretty much nonexistent cell phone service. One day we went on a long hike; after three hours of vertical assent, we got to the summit of our trail. All six of us stood there for a moment, just trying to rest a bit and take in the beautiful, idyllic view.

All of a sudden, one of the people I was with (a senior partner at a law firm) shouted out, “Ah! I’ve got service!” Just like that, he was working on a deal.

One of our other group members also had to run back to the house on a frequent basis, because it was the only place with reliable internet service and he needed to do work. And then there was me. Over the few days that I was out, I received well over 500 emails, and I tried to respond to most of them. I was dealing with running two separate businesses, attending to multiple requests for conference calls, and needed to complete some important paperwork with a non-negotiable deadline.

Of course, I spent a lot of that time enjoying myself, the surroundings, and the company. But the fact remains that if I had disconnected completely, I would have come back to such a tsunami of work that just the thought of it would have induced an anxiety attack. An attack, I might add, that would have happened on the vacation, thus defeating the purpose of going. Instead, I attended to those items that needed immediate attention while away, and I had some important papers FedExed to me at the resort. I returned home Friday night and spent the weekend catching up in order to avoid being overwhelmed and behind the following Monday morning.

My experience on vacation might be an extreme example, but it does illustrate the complexity of modern society and modern business. When I went on vacation 20 years ago, I would really be able to disconnect. But that was before cell phones and before email and the internet, and it was also before my company, Ovation Travel Group, was this large and complex. Now, people are connected at all times, and the normal state of being is one of constant communication. In many ways, this is great for business and great for productivity. But there is a downside as well, and we need to think about what we sacrifice when we are “plugged in” 24/7/365.

It’s true that I’m personally challenged and driven by remaining busy. But I’m often very envious of people who are able to simply leave when the work day is up and then not have to deal with anything until they come back the next day. I’d like to be able to say, “OK! I have a rule and I’m just going to fully disconnect!” But what will inevitably happen, at least in my job, is that I am punished with the amount of work when I return, and then I am unable to focus properly the way I need to. Although it might seem counter-intuitive, my key strategy for staying on top of everything is knowing when not to do anything: to prioritize and take breaks in order to recharge my batteries and maintain balance.

One of the simplest tricks I have is to prioritize. If I don’t have a lot of free time (which is quite often), I’ll check texts first and voicemail, because those tend to be of higher importance and of a more personal nature. Then I will go to email and other correspondence, and see what needs my attention accordingly. I also budget my time in ways I think of as shortcuts. For example, if I am at an event or a social outing, I will excuse myself for a few minutes, go to a private area, and run through my email quickly via my phone. That way, with just a little effort, I get caught up without being rude. Additionally, I often work while I’m eating lunch at my desk, whether it’s answering a few emails or having a quick, informal meeting.

In terms of a routine, however, the one thing I do without fail on a daily basis is to find moments where I do something solely for myself. To begin with, proper rest is very important. I sleep fairly normally. I don’t pride myself on sleeping four hours a night; instead I get seven hours, and don’t function as well without it. I’ve written about this before, but it’s extremely important for my physical and mental well-being to run and meditate. Generally, I like to go running two or three miles first thing in the morning, and then I meditate for 20 minutes mid-afternoon.  I’m very fortunate that I’m in a position to be able to control my own schedule at this point, because I’m the CEO of a company. There are many people who are not in that position, and it would be very difficult to explain to their boss that they need 20 minutes to meditate at their desk. But really, anyone can take a break, go outside, and walk around for a few minutes in order to refresh. Truthfully, I couldn’t function at the level that I do if I didn’t do those things and I didn’t take some time during the day to recharge. 

At the end of the day, everyone has to find the proper work-life balance that works for her or him.  There is so much opportunity to get so much done, but it comes at a price. That’s why it’s all the more important that you disconnect at some point during the day, which is what I try to do. Otherwise, things would be really overwhelming. Oddly enough, my biggest tip for productivity is finding time to be, well, unproductive.