I met yesterday with one of my Vistage members who’s about to head into a summer sabbatical. As we wrapped up our session, he asked a deceptively simple but powerful question:
“Do you have any advice for what I should do while I’m out?”
I paused. Not because I didn’t have opinions, but because I wanted to give him some thoughtful guidance that would actually matter.
Here’s what I shared.
Step 1: Go on one real vacation and do something extraordinary
Not a “check email twice a day” vacation.
Not a “same routine, different zip code” vacation.
I encouraged him to do one thing that overwhelms the senses and gets him out of his head.
Something that requires full presence:
- Scuba diving
- Snorkeling
- Sailing
- Hiking someplace humbling
- Anywhere the mind quiets because the body and senses are fully engaged
When you truly disconnect, you don’t just rest – you reset. Perspective returns. Creativity loosens. The mental noise fades.
Step 2: Knock out the nagging stuff at home
Before doing any deep thinking about the future, I suggested he eliminate the background buzz.
Finish the home projects. Clean up the loose ends. Handle the things that will otherwise whisper, “You should be working on this…”
It’s hard to think clearly about what matters most when your brain is cluttered with unfinished business.
Step 3: Then practice Essentialism – in the most practical way possible
Recently, I read Essentialism by Greg McKeown for a book club discussion forum led by my friend Sam Bryson at Crossroads.
One idea from the book has stuck with me more than any other – it’s an acronym that someone else made up:
WIN = What’s Important Now
Here’s how I shared it with my member – and how I try to practice it myself:
- Make a list of everything that’s on your mind. Not just work. Everything. The stuff you’re actively thinking about and the things quietly parked in the back of your head.
- Cross out the unimportant. Anything not urgent & not loud. The unimportant.
- Select the one thing that would create the most value or help put everything else in perspective.
- Work on that. Finish it. Knock it out.
- Rinse and repeat.
That’s it. Simple. Not easy.
Sometimes the WIN is unexpected
Here’s the nuance I love about this approach (covered in the book):
- Sometimes the most important thing is making the list itself.
- Sometimes it’s getting fully prepared for tomorrow’s big meeting.
- Sometimes it’s clearing your calendar and your head.
- And sometimes the real WIN is stepping away entirely.
Taking a vacation. Taking a sabbatical. Letting the stresses of life wash away long enough to hear yourself think again.
Because clarity rarely comes from doing more. It comes from doing less—on purpose.
The real question
Whether you’re heading into a sabbatical or just closing out another busy week, the question remains the same:
What’s important now?
And are you giving that one thing the time, energy, and attention it actually deserves?
That’s the practice of Essentialism, “Doing less with higher quality.” And when done well, it leads to some pretty meaningful wins.
This article was first published in my LinkedIn newsletter, Feeding the Flame. Read the original.