Have you taken a real break lately? Not the kind where you sneak in a “quick” call from your hotel room or answer “just a few” emails from the beach. I mean actual, unapologetic disconnection, whether it’s a summer holiday in the Northern Hemisphere or a winter break down south.
If it’s been a while, you’re not alone. The American “always on” habit is spreading, and it’s costing us real rest.
Europe used to be different. August meant complete shutdowns, not a perk, but an expectation. Now work follows people to the beach. Startups brag about never closing. When President Macron says summer breaks are “too long”, he’s helping destroy our right to disconnect.
The C-suite is no better. They measure commitment by how fast you reply, even in August. Executives brag about “working from the beach” like it’s something to be proud of. The message is clear: if you’re important, you’re always on.
Being always “on” doesn’t show commitment; it kills creativity. Our best ideas don’t come from back-to-back meetings. They appear when we unplug, try something new, or break from routine.
The science backs it up. Creativity emerges in the mental space between tasks, when the brain can breathe and make unexpected connections. Stay plugged in, and you train your mind to think in narrow, predictable patterns. That’s not innovation; that’s slow decline.
Performance suffers too. Working more hours doesn’t give you better results. It gives you more mistakes, worse decisions, and quicker burnout.
I’ve seen this with leaders worldwide: rest fuels innovation. I’ve shared before how holidays reignite creativity and how to spark it daily. Rest isn’t wasted time. It’s the foundation for better thinking.
Yet what passes for “vacation” today is often just work with a better view. Real rest means no email, no Slack, no “quick updates”. It’s giving your mind and body the space to reset so you return with a fresh perspective.
For leaders, this isn’t optional. If you can’t unplug, your team won’t either. You don’t need to call it a “strategic retreat”. A simple “I’m on holiday” says you understand that more hours don’t always mean more impact.
So here’s the challenge: next time you take time off, whether it’s two weeks or a Sunday afternoon, make it real. Put down the phone. Close the laptop. Let the ideas simmer while you live your life.
In today’s productivity-obsessed world, being unreachable might just be your smartest move.
If you’re not sure where to start, begin small: schedule a weekly day of complete rest.
The question isn’t whether you can afford to disconnect. It’s whether you can afford not to. Your most creative insights are waiting in the quiet between the noise. Make the space to hear them.
p.s. If you want to dive deeper into leading with rest, creativity, and resilience, check out Kingdom Factor Cohorts (KFC). It’s built for leaders ready to sustain peak performance without burnout. Interested? Just DM me “KFC” and I’ll share the details.