Break Week
Next week, I’m taking my second Think Week of the year. But this time, it’s going to look a little different than it has in the past.
Typically, my Think Weeks are filled with . . . thinking. I spend my days reading, visioning, brainstorming, and thinking through strategic projects. The goal has always been to return from a Think Week with tons of ideas for the quarter ahead.
But you know what? After the last Think Week I took in March, I had an epiphany. I don’t need a week for thinking.
What I realized is that Think Week was actually a symptom of a larger problem for me. My weeks were always so go-go-go that I didn’t have time to think. The only way I could get that time was by taking a week off to do just that. But since the pandemic, I’ve adjusted my schedule. I now have a limited schedule on Mondays and Fridays and rarely schedule meetings or events then, and that means I have a lot more time to think and strategize during the week. So now, what I want is a week of not thinking. I want a week off.
And so, I’m renaming my Think Week: I’m calling it Break Week.
Next week, I will play. I will go outside. I will visit with friends. I will go to the spa. I will give myself permission not to think about a dang thing and not come back with a single idea.
Break Week is coming at the perfect time. As things have started to pick back up in the world around me, I’ve felt an increased pressure to go . . . to hit the gas and pick up the pace. Have you felt that?
But you know what? We’ve been here before. Before the pandemic, too many of us worked to the point of exhaustion and didn’t make time to play. Too many of us hit burnout and didn’t take time to pause. Too many of us tried to “get ahead” and didn’t make time to live or soak up the moments that matter the most in life. We overscheduled ourselves to the point of not having the space to think. I don’t want to make those mistakes again, and I don’t want anyone else to make them either.
This last year and half, while hard, has been a gift. I think it’s super important that we take the lessons we’ve learned during this pandemic and carry them with us as we move forward. One of the biggest lessons: Slow down.
Your success isn’t diminished because you take a break.
Opportunities will still exist when you return.
I don’t consider what we are facing as “re-entry.” We have been here before, and we don’t need to pick it back up again. We don’t need to go back to where we were. We have the incredible, amazing opportunity to do things differently.
Break Week is my personal attempt at carrying the lessons of the pandemic forward. And that means that next week, there won’t be a blog post because taking a break also means taking a break from writing. When I return, I will continue to honor my limited schedule on Mondays and Fridays. When I return, I will continue to move at a slower pace. I am not re-entering. I am staying the course.
Are you with me?
Hugs through the screen, and see you in a week!
Kristen
PS: Break Week also means no LIVE next week, but we ARE meeting tomorrow! Hope you’ll join us at 11am ET for Real Talk, where I interview a leader who inspires me. Join us by registering here: https://bit.ly/3kWe2kT
PPS: Early bird pricing for our Human Leadership Program ends June 30th! Save $100 on the price of your ticket. Learn more here!
