I’m plugged in most of the time. I’m either typing on my laptop, looking at my phone, or listening to my earbuds. There’s information flowing into and out of my brain most of the time I’m awake each day.

There’s very little quiet. There’s very little calm. There are very few moments between the moments.

When the keyboard is closed, the phone is in the pocket, and the earbuds are dangling, there are other things to fill the space. The clients call, the employees message, and the spouse and children grab hold of what’s left.

Even when I’m on the road, away from the office, and away from the people, I’m still plugged in. That’s the great/horrible thing about our lives today. We’re always on.

We can be productive all the time. Yep, we can be tuned in, turned on, and powered up anytime, anywhere, and for any reason.

Some advocate shutting it down. Some advocate sitting quietly. Some advocate mindfulness meditation. Some simply offer to sell you weed.

Maybe they’ve all got a point?

If your brain is always busy either (1) taking information in or (2) making snap decisions for or about clients, employees, or family members, then you’re missing something.

What You Miss When You Don’t Slow Down

You’re missing that space in between. You’re missing that space where you think, process, change, and develop a plan. You need the space.

The space is where the disparate pieces of data bump into one another, get rearranged, and then connect. The space is where things sort out and start to make sense. The space is where the pieces fit together.

In our culture, it’s hard to make space for thinking. It’s difficult to put “thinking” on your calendar without getting laughed at or having your staff decide that’s something that can easily be interrupted.

For us, thinking typically happens away from the office, away from the crisis, and away from the team. It typically happens by accident when we find ourselves between activities/events/drama. For me, it happens mostly on vacation. It happens when everyone else heads in one direction and I head in the other.

The learning is wasted without the thinking you do later. It’s just random information until you give yourself time to organize, digest, incorporate, and settle. By giving yourself the space, by taking time away, ultimately you’re giving yourself more time.

By giving yourself the space, the quiet, the time, and the distance, you’re ultimately getting more done.

Take more time away to give yourself more time each day. It may not feel right at first. It’ll feel better as you observe the results.