Think Liberally and Deliberately

Why do I devote four weeks a year to reading and thinking? So I can supercharge all the other days.

IN 2019, MY COMPANY had about 40 full-time employees; it was growing just fine, but I was in search of inspiration. I read one of Bill Gates’s year-end recaps in which he reflected on his achievements over the previous year. He wrote about his penchant for regularly taking stock of his work and personal life. It reminded me of an article I had read several years prior about his famous biannual “think weeks.”

This stuck with me, the idea of taking stock, and taking time to really think. It occurred to me I hadn’t done either—maybe ever. I also thought, well, if this guy who has run a very successful company—and has one of the greatest philanthropic organizations in the world—if he does that, then there’s something to it. I began to consider my own approach to such focused introspection. Instead of throwing a couple of hours at my self-examination here and there, I wanted to devote real time. I then wondered: Could I take a whole week to … think?

In addition to thinking, I would read a helpful book and spend time mapping out ways to weave its lessons into my company. I’d turn a week off into a mini business boot camp.

Taking a week off is hard to justify—even if it’s a good idea on paper—so I started to rationalize it. If you think of a year as 52 weeks—instead of 12 months—and three or four of them get sucked up by conferences, and you factor in family vacations and holidays, the number of weeks in which you can devote time to thinking narrows. You start to realize that you probably have no more than 30 truly productive weeks each year. That’s when I officially resolved to take a week off. I thought, if that’s really all the time I have to do actual work, I’d better supercharge the output of those precious weeks.

For my first thinkcation, I went to Snug Harbor, a lakeside community, just over 100 miles northwest from my home in Tacoma, Washington. I bunked in a no-frills—save for the million-dollar view of Lake Sutherland—cabin and had with me just a notepad and a single book: John Doerr’s Measure What Matters.

There I was, alone. For the first time, I understood that I had many unresolved thoughts that I had never taken a minute to process. And they were existential. I had never had the time to ask: Who am I? And what values do I want to bring to the world? The result was profound. I returned from Snug Harbor resolute in my plans to implement a system of using OKRs, or objectives and key results, and KPIs, key performance indicators, across my organization.

I also resolved to take more thinkcations. Five years later, I’m proud to say OKRs and KPIs are thoroughly ingrained in my company’s daily workflow. I’ve even baked them into my emails with employees, which helps keep us all on task. In an email, I might note my problem, what success looks like for me, and—crucially—establish a deadline. Gone are the days we could blame a miscue for work not getting done.

I now also take thinkcations quarterly. Naturally, I couldn’t do this without a supportive spouse and family. Nor could I afford to take them if I didn’t try to cut costs when possible. I don’t go to the Caribbean every time I go away, for instance. Sometimes I’ll just pop into a local Airbnb or Vrbo that’s not too pricey. Or I’ll tack a few extra days onto a conference trip.

Most of all, I make these days count. To avoid distractions, I don’t carry electronics; I start the week off reading my book, and then during the last two or three days, I reflect on what I’ve learned and consider how I can inject these lessons into my company. I also meditate daily and engage in breath work, as well as keep a gratitude journal. That uninterrupted time, for me, is priceless, as it allows for deep reflection on both the long-term vision and the strategic direction of my company. It’s an opportunity to check in and make adjustments if necessary, too.

We could all use a little more structured unstructured time, to go off and think deliberately. With that time to reflect, you can make more thoughtful decisions and finally stop being reactive and stressed. While you may not get a week every quarter—heck, even Gates only ever took two think weeks a year—the point is, take some time to be alone and reflect, to think about what you’re grateful for and what success looks like. You may find that time away will inspire you.