Why Leaders Need To Hit The Reset Button

We all need time off of work for rest and reevaluation. Many come back from a long weekend feeling refreshed. Some come back dreading upcoming meetings and overcrowded inboxes. I know I enjoyed some relaxation while sailing over the Fourth of July weekend. But stress can overcrowd our minds and make it hard to truly relax, even in the most serene settings. Many can’t seem to get their head out of their inbox and into the present moment. Some are afraid that if they take any time off of work, they will see negative impacts on their career. When did we begin devaluing extracurricular activities and time off? How can we get back on track and understand that rest is an important part of the creative process??

Some companies and leaders alike downplay the need for hobbies and time off in favor of immediate response times and beating (instead of meeting) deadlines. And I get it—it’s counterintuitive to think you are doing something important by not doing anything, but downtime is part of the creative process. Work and rest are not mutually exclusive concepts. They help inform one another, and when proper balance is achieved, one feeds and strengthens the other. Our hobbies make us more dynamic individuals, and dynamic individuals have more to bring to the table.??

In her New York Times article, Bonnie Tsui calls this “fallow time.” She reframes regular downtime as a necessary component in a creative life. “We need to rest, to read, to reconnect. It is the invisible labor that makes creative life possible,” she says. Creativity is essential for business leaders. We are required to think outside the box on a day-to-day basis. To build success, we innovate and create solutions, functions, products, services—and creation requires fallow time. "Fallow time is necessary to grow everything from actual crops to figurative ones," according to Tsui.?

Learning to invest in our hobbies makes us happier, more well-rounded people. These types of people lead innovative companies. Without question, the best leaders who I recruited for my companies were dynamic individuals. They were passionate about building their businesses and they were equally passionate outside of the office with other interests and their families. Passionate workers put 100% into everything they do—they don’t just clock time.?

Take Ginni Rometty, former CEO of IBM, as an example. Rometty spends half of her year in Florida, where she golfs and scuba dives in her spare time. She’s also an avid Broadway fan and makes a point of seeing shows throughout the year. Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon moonlights as DJ on the weekends, and even released his own single. Studies show that CEOs who run marathons are 5% more likely to be effective in their companies. Whether you’re spending time by the ocean, spinning vinyl, or going sailing (my personal pastime), it’s important for CEOs to have downtime.?

It is equally as important to distinguish between rest and boredom. While boredom is idle, often wasted time, rest is productive. Rest is recharging and helps you give more during the times you are working. When I am out on my sailboat, I feel active and connected to myself and the world around me. This replenishment over the holiday weekend makes a difference when I log into my email on Tuesday morning. My regular practice of sailing helps me connect with others, keeps me physically active, and helps activate different parts of my brain than answering Slack messages.?

“Fallow time” isn’t a one-week per year concept. We need to bake it into our consistent work schedule. Practicing fallow time isn't just nice; it's necessary. We need to slow down sometimes so we can speed up at other times.?

A lot of us experienced an unexpected increase in downtime last year. Many began to reevaluate if they were happy, getting what they wanted out of life and business. Some used it thoughtfully, enhancing their lives or shifting their goals, while others struggled with idleness or remote working around the clock. As things move forward and our lives fall into their new routines, how are you incorporating rest and hobbies into your weekly schedule?

Let me know in the comments.?