The think week I almost canceled
One thing I’m committed to doing more of this year is thinking. To hold myself accountable, I’ve blocked out four “think weeks” in my 2021 calendar. This week happens to be my first of the year—and I almost canceled it.
Why? Because when you’re up to your eyeballs in work, it can seem totally counterintuitive to hit the pause button, keep your calendar free of meetings, and take time to stop and just… think. But I’m here, and I pressed the pause button even though I had to seriously talk myself into it, and it’s all because I know that creating the space for thinking also creates the space for clarity, rejuvenation, and new ideas.
Bill Gates is the person who first inspired my think weeks. Several times a year, he packs up a ton of books and jets off to an isolated cabin where he reads, thinks, and comes up with some of his best ideas. After reading about his process many years ago, I was intrigued and decided to have a “think day.” I went to a coffee shop on a Friday and spent the day reading and thinking. I absolutely loved it. It felt like taking a day off, even though I was very much using my brain, perhaps even more than I would on a typical day. It reenergized me, and I was hooked.
After that, I began to incorporate thinking time in my travels. When I’d have down time in between speeches, it was easy to spend a couple of days in an inspiring city and make a thinking retreat out of it. Because I was traveling, I naturally didn’t have as many meetings. But with COVID, that all changed instantly for me. I no longer had the travel routine, and so that meant I also lost my thinking routine. Working from home means that I can more easily stack my days with virtual events and meetings, and now, I’m the busiest I’ve ever been in my career. I’m finding it harder than ever to create the space to stop, even though I know how valuable it is to do so.
For some reason, in this season, I’ve also had an especially hard time calling book-reading or thinking “work.” Maybe it’s because we are in the midst of a big transition and it feels like all of my focus should be on that kind of work only. And so instead, I tell myself that I’ll save it for the weekend. But here’s what happens: I get to the weekend, and I’m too tired to read and think. So instead, I keep ordering books, and they keep piling up, and every day I look at them on my desk and I feel sad that I haven’t been able to read them all. I get sad because I know that their pages will energize me and lead me to many ideas that will inspire me, and hopefully lead me to creating things that will inspire others. Please tell me I’m not the only one whose desk is stacked with unread books and who gets sad when I haven’t read them all?
My think weeks for this year are pre-booked, but as it usually happens, when I got closer to my first think week of 2021, additional meeting requests started popping up. Some of them made it on my calendar, and that’s when I got real with myself: Is it really a think week if I’m scheduling stuff over it? I knew that if I wasn’t careful, it would turn into just any other week, and I’d continue to look at the stack of books piling up on my desk. And so, I took another look at my calendar, rescheduled and canceled all that I could, and re-committed to taking this time. It wasn’t easy, and I realize it will never be easy. There will always be things to do, people to meet with, and people to serve. And while I wish I could say yes to everything, if I do, there’s no way I can be at my best and stay inspired if I’m not also dedicating time to thinking, reading, and reenergizing. It’s as simple as that.
And so that leads me to this: I have to cancel our LIVE this Wednesday. I would love to be there with you, but I need to honor the commitment I’ve made to myself. Also, what kind of example am I setting as a leader if I host a live show during a week that I’m supposed to be pausing and thinking?
I’m spending spring break with Spiros and Evie next week, which means our next LIVE will be April 7th. That also means that I’ll be really refreshed, really inspired, and really well-read when I come back. I’ll also have some really exciting news about our transition, and I can’t wait to share it with you.
I’m proud that I’m sticking to the think week I almost canceled, and I hope you too can find some thinking time for yourself. Whether it’s an afternoon, a day, or a whole week—when it comes down to it, may your pause button win!
Hugs through the screen,
Kristen
PS: Have you heard about our new human leadership development program?! It’s a virtual, live program to help you elevate your authenticity and humanity as a leader, and it’s going down on May 5th and 6th. Learn more and get your tickets by clicking here!
PPS: Join us for our next LIVE on Wednesday, April 7th, at 11 a.m. ET! We share everything from news and stories from behind-the-scenes of our pivot to what we’re learning, what we’re struggling with as leaders, and how we’re meeting this unprecedented moment in our history as a company. You can register here: https://bit.ly/3kWe2kT. It’s the same link each week. Hope to see you there!
