THINK WEEK

THINK WEEK

note: this article is adapted from john maxwell's magazine.

With Palm Pilots and Blackberries, Bluetooth and Wifi, RSS and SMS, technology gives us access to absurd amounts of information, anytime, anywhere, at amazing speeds. Information bombards us from every angle, and we struggle to escape the virtual office.
With the workplace available at our fingertips, retreat from the demands of the office has become trickier but perhaps more important than ever. Constant connectivity takes its toll on our well-being, and threatens to wear us down. To restore our creativity and fight fatigue, a break from the pressing burdens of work is a must.
In an article for Workforce, Dr. Timothy Butler draws attention to the famed “think weeks” of Microsoft’s Bill Gates. As Butler notes, even Gates, whose genius gave impetus to the onset of the information age, makes time to disengage from the clutter of information around him. Twice a year, Gates disappears for a week to focus his thinking and refine his ideas.
Initially, thinking days strike us as inherently unproductive. We fear a day away from work will put us behind in the game. Yet, as Butler writes, “In the race to deal with the minute-to-minute, the longer term can suffer.” For a fresh perspective, we would be wise to follow Bill Gates’ lead.
As one of the most influential men in the world, Gates wields enormous responsibility, yet, he recognizes the imperative of removing himself from the daily grind. He not only unwinds from ongoing pressures during his “think weeks,” but he’s also able to wade through the opportunities and ideas around him by taking a clear look at the big picture.
Butler outlines a simple, three-step approach by which leaders can escape the vortex of immediacy to renew their outlook.
Stop
Prohibit yourself from checking emails or making work-related calls for a few days. Hone in on the biggest opportunity ahead of you, and free yourself from the details of your job. Dig deeply in a big idea, and avoid letting your thoughts get sucked into the muddle of urgent, yet relatively unimportant work.
Look
See your world anew by withdrawing to a place of solitude. A beachfront hotel or mountain cabin can be an ideal vantage point to look at life from a fresh perspective.
Listen
Attune your ears to new voices. Separate yourself from the usual drone of the workday by consulting with a friend in another industry or a prominent leader outside of your sphere of work.
Information overload can handicap the best of leaders. Getting away from time to time can be refreshingly restorative. Perhaps it’s time to explore a retreat from the chains of the mundane to strengthen your ability to think and act clearly.

To view the full text of “Taking Time to Think: The Irony of Bill Gates’ Legacy,” by Dr. Timothy Butler, visit:
http://www.workforce.com/section/01/article/24/52/11.html