It’s been a while since I sneezed out any content; I was thinking about that last night as I tried to find that “just so” position to get to sleep. Often, that “just so” position for slipping into a deep sleep doesn’t include thinking about blog posts; needless to say, it took a while to nod off.
I boiled it down to inputs and outputs. Previous posts of mine have referenced my focus on “outcomes”; you can think of this, generally, as some form of output. Output takes many shapes and sizes, from motivating change to producing something using fingers on a keyboard.
For most of the year, I’m output motivated, but towards the backend of the year, as we roll into mid-December, I start to lose some of that drive.
Let’s be specific about inputs; we’re not talking mince pies and cold beers, which constitute most of December’s activities. Inputs can be reading, listening to colleagues, brainstorming, reading emails, the constant stream of interruption known as Slack, meetings (the main course of my input banquet) and other ways to onboard knowledge and points of view based on learned wisdom.
So anyway, for me, there comes a time when all this activity, the relationship between inputs and outputs, just breaks down. Mental exhaustion due to constant near-focussed activities lines up with the much-reduced sunlight in the UK, and I hit an event horizon.
All stop.
What’s nice about hitting the wall is these are the times when longer-term reflections can take place. An equivalent, if you will, of the thoughts you have whilst taking a shower but on a much bigger scale.
Switching off the need to output and limiting inputs stops your brain from churning through things which are going to be important tomorrow or next week, the near-term. Instead, you can let the mind wander.
My mind takes around 5-7 days to properly space out and start to look for connections and lateral progress, which previously eluded me.
I’m not alone in this pause-for-thought mentality; some are lucky enough to be more purposeful and less circumstantial instead of waiting for the festive mental shutdown period. Bill Gates (of Microsoft fame) has taken “think weeks” for most of his successful career.
These are known as digital detoxes, where you disconnect for 7 days. My version requires more than a digital detox; it’s an all-out input/output detox.
I’ve had some of my best ideas during these periods, but also, because it coincides with Christmas, I’ve also gained the most weight.
As well as good ideas, I’ve solved a few complex problems I didn’t know I had and a few that I was more than aware of.
Clarity of thought is a consequence of non-activity, rather than an output from a “sit down” session you might carved out for yourself in the generality of your working week.
I would argue that anyone can benefit from this, irrespective of their work or personal circumstances. It is important not to overcook this and spend most of your time procrastinating; this is an infrequent activity which helps sort through the piles of fan mail your brain generates throughout a six or twelve-month period.
In closing… that’s one of the reasons you’ve not heard from me in a while; I’m chalking it down to a pretty good excuse. ;)
Thank you, friend, as always, for taking the time to read, and to any new folks who’ve joined the substack, welcome on board. See you next time.