This is part 4 of a 10-part series on my 3-month sabbatical during the summer of 2024.  This series has two purposes— 1) to motivate and equip others to take a restorative break from work, and 2) to share insights I gained during my time away.  To start at the beginning of the series, go here.

Disconnecting

Leading up to sabbatical, my brain was cluttered by so much noise.  Buddhists teach about the “monkey mind”— a mental state of restlessness and internal “chatter.”   Pre-sabbatical, my monkeys were loud and insistent.  I couldn’t stop thinking about strategy, client problems, improvement initiatives, pipeline, sales conversations, personnel development and maturation, vacation timing, outsourcing approaches, and organizational culture.  Focusing on one thing at a time was difficult, as distracting thoughts interrupted my flow.  The switching cost was high.  

I needed a hard reset (no more work stimuli) and an intentional change of pace.  

I intended to have no contact with clients or teammates during sabbatical.  But during the first month, I decided to attend an event at which I knew I would interact with a client.  Not surprisingly, that interaction took me out of the flow and tensed my nervous system back up a bit, even though it was a very pleasant interaction.  It set my “slowing down” timeline back, or so it seemed to me.

Other than that, I stayed away completely from clients and teammates.

Submitting 

During Marine Corps firearms training, I learned that “Smooth is fast.”  When changing out a magazine during a timed shooting drill, one’s instinct is to rush through it, which invariably leads to fumbling the magazine.  This wisdom applies to so many aspects of life in which speed is essential— in these times, we need to “go slow, to go fast.”  

But what about when speed isn’t essential?  On a few occasions while driving during sabbatical, I would notice my speed and think to myself, “What’s the rush?  You literally have nowhere to be for months.”  In such circumstances, the answer isn’t “Go slow to go fast,” but rather, “Just slow down.”

This was the first bit of sabbatical “work” for me— I needed to yield, to submit to a new rhythm.  Without a new pace, I was likely going to just port my usual habits over into the sabbatical world.  

Powering down took some time.  On day one, I cut off the energizing stimuli from work, but my nervous system didn’t catch up until later.  I had mental and emotional momentum I needed to bleed off. 

It took me two entire weeks to feel fully relaxed.

A Different Gear

Once the work monkeys stopped chattering, I had so much more headspace.  I then started noticing things I had overlooked for years (and decades).  I believe that complete disconnection from work was essential for me to find this new mental gear.  

In particular, three new patterns of thinking emerged as I slowed down:

1. I non-judgmentally noticed so many opportunities for my own growth and maturation (more on this topic in the next installment).
2. I was able to observe the system of Kairos from a much more elevated perspective.
3. I was able to revisit painful stories from my past, without feeling emotionally overwhelmed.

The insights that sprung from these patterns were such a gift.  It was only through slowing down that I was able to access a deeper and clearer view of reality.

Throughout the sabbatical, our Kairos work would pop into my mind occasionally.  Interestingly, I found that my thinking about Kairos was more efficient and effective, leading to a deeper and more full view of reality.  My infrequent thoughts about work felt relaxed and non-anxious.  Maybe this was because there was literally nothing I was going to do about any of it during the sabbatical.  I just wrote my ideas down, put them on a shelf, and planned to come back to them later if they still felt relevant and useful.

Summary

1. Go slow to go fast.  And sometimes just go slow. 
2. Accessing the full power of a sabbatical requires submitting, yielding.  
3. It can take weeks to power down and find mental rest.
4. Slowing down leads to: a) viewing self differently, b) viewing systems differently, and c) viewing the past differently. 

Next up:  Part 5 – Approval-Based Performance

If you have any thoughts on this topic, feel free to engage with it over on LinkedIn

Chip Neidigh is Founder and CEO at Kairos, where he and his colleagues help CEOs build elite executive teams.  Want to be notified when we post articles that invite a journey into more courageous and selfless leadership? Sign up for The Kairos Moment, our monthly(ish) email alert.