While I was in the military I read “The Power of Full Engagement” which really helped me hone some key skills to handle a greater workload and remain fresh and focused during long intense work sessions without a break. Since then I have learned a valuable lesson and I call it the power of disengagement. I have learned that true time away from the office and the noise of everyday life can really help you. I joke with my family that my best thinking is done on a plane. It tends to be the only time where for 3-5 hours I am 100% away from the phone and e-mail where I am forced to sit in a chair and do nothing but read and think. Business trips have become much more valuable to me due to this and I pray they don’t start putting Wi-Fi in airplanes where people can make phone calls as this one last place of solitude will be lost.
This article in the Wall Street Journal highlights the power being alone and lost in thought and how our greatest ideas come from being engrossed in the pleasure a day dream. Enjoy!
