The Break Was the Breakthrough: Why Rest is the Ultimate Creative Act

“The restful mind is a creative mind.” — John Muir

My wife and I recently returned from a week in Rome.

It’s the first time we've been, but there was so much to see and do that you could easily go 20 times and still find completely new neighborhoods, hidden historical sites, and out of the way cafes. 

On this trip, we spent most of our time exploring the big hits. The Colosseum. The Spanish Steps. The Vatican. 

But we did take one day to rent e-bikes and explore something less well known: The Appian Way - the first long road built specifically to transport Roman troops outside the region of greater Rome. 

The 2,300 year old road is lined with archaeological sites and historical landmarks, many of which are located within the first 10 miles from Rome. And there were almost no other people there on a perfectly beautiful Saturday morning.

We’ve discovered time after time that the best places are almost always somewhat hidden. And you’ll never find them unless you're willing to just wander, explore, and get a little lost.

That's the way we enjoy traveling. We often just explore, try things, and let ourselves end up wherever the day takes us.

And somewhere in the middle of this, I realized I wasn’t thinking about work (or my business) at all.

But I almost didn't go

I thought about postponing this trip several times.

Not because anything was actually wrong. But because I kept telling myself I didn't have the time. Too much work. The dog needed surgery on her leg. Too many things that needed to get done. Maybe I’d go next year when things are slower and more settled.

But things never slow down. There's always another project, another life event, and another thing that feels urgent.

I've done this for most of my career. Telling myself I'll take real time off after I finish this thing or hit that milestone. But the milestone keeps moving. And new projects make their way onto my calendar before taking time off does.

Ultimately, Jill just told me to book the flight or not. She was flying through Rome on her return from leading a retreat in Europe and we thought it was the perfect occasion to see a new city.

If she hadn't forced a decision, I might still be telling myself I’ll go "soon."

What if things fall apart? 

Before I left, I worked with my VA to set up my newsletter in advance, reschedule a few client meetings, and I tied up as many loose ends as I could.

But I was still anxious.

We were at dinner on the third night at this little neighborhood bistro, and I noticed myself reaching for my phone to check for any email or texts.

Then I noticed the habitual pattern - thinking that I was missing something or somehow dropping the ball.

I caught myself and put the phone away, but the urge didn't go anywhere.

This went on for the first three or four days of our trip. Part of my brain was running through everything that could be going wrong back home.

Why rest is the ultimate creative act

By the end of day four, we found ourselves wandering through a neighborhood in Rome near the Spanish Steps.

We'd been walking around for a couple of hours, just going into shops, when we heard live music coming from a nearby hill. We decided to follow the melody and started traversing several long flights of stairs, winding up a hill that led to a beautiful park. 

When we got to the top, there was a solo musician standing in the middle of an open courtyard overlooking the city, playing the chorus of ‘Nothing Else Matters’ by Metallica on his electric guitar. 

After a few minutes of appreciating the music, we continued to wander and Jill noticed some people rowing boats on a small lake across the park and immediately said “I wanna do that!”

So we made our way to the lake and waited in a short line for one of the row boats to free up and then enjoyed time rowing around the lake. Just being there.

As we sat in the boat, I realized something. I hadn't thought about work since we left our Airbnb that morning. My anxiety had loosened up, and I was no longer fighting the urge to look at my phone.

For the first time in months, I was just there. Present to the moment.

I realized that this was exactly why I needed to unplug and visit Rome. My CEO mind had been running the show for months. And sitting in that little oar boat in Italy, I remembered that I also have an Explorer in me who needs to wander in new and interesting places.

And something really interesting happened: When my inner Explorer finally got some space, my brain started working better. Ideas started showing up, and I don’t mean the forced ideas where you sit down and try to think of something strategically. Just creative thoughts that pop up naturally.

I'd been feeling a bit stuck for a couple of months leading up to this trip - struggling with ideas and knowing which to execute on and which to leave behind. Every time I sat down to plan, it felt like trying to force a decision and I kept coming up empty.

But in Rome, ideas started flowing. My brain finally had space to think, 5,854 miles from my desk in Oregon.

The break was the breakthrough

When we got back from Rome, I opened up my laptop to see how things were going after a week of no work.

Revenue was the same. Clients were happy. Everything kept going without any emergencies. Some emails needed responses, but nothing super urgent.

All that anxiety about what would happen if I stepped away? It turns out that none of it was real.

For some reason, I keep needing to learn this over and over again - that it’s essential to step away and enjoy life. 

And here's what really got me after this trip. When I sat down at my desk on my first day back to work, the ideas flowed effortlessly, the decisions came easily, and I mapped out the projects for the rest of the year without forcing anything.

The week I spent not working probably did more for my business than the two months combined before that, when I was constantly in CEO mode, never letting my Explorer come out to play.

You’ll never just “find the time”

You'll never "find the time" to unplug, explore, and recharge.

I've been wrestling with the notion for years that I can only take a real break when things slow down, or I finish some project, or hit some arbitrary monthly revenue number.

But work and life doesn’t seem to slow down, interesting projects keep stacking, and the urge to go after “more” keeps me tethered to my work.

Ironically, I’ve found that one of the hardest things to do once you find meaningful work is to set it aside.

So now I’m recommitting to scheduling downtime & rest the same way I schedule work. I’m putting it on my calendar weeks or months in advance, and I’m treating the breaks as non-negotiable. Meetings that can’t be moved.

At the end of the year, I'm taking a break between December 15th and January 1st. It's already on the calendar. There are a few things I’ve committed to during this time but for the most part, the calendar is clear and I won’t be adding things to it - unless it’s an impromptu trip to the mountain to ski!

I know by now that if I wait to find the right time, It’ll never happen. It must be mapped, planned, and added to the calendar with the same level of priority as everything else.

Back home, but with a renewed perspective

I'm writing this from my desk in Oregon, but part of me is still back on The Appian Way in Rome.

Our trip to Rome reminded me that I'm more than my CEO mind. I'm also an Explorer who wanders through foreign countries with my wife. And I’m a Learner who can sit and read for the morning without thinking about what's next. And also a Creative who cherishes a quiet morning with coffee to process my thoughts and ideas by writing posts like this one.

If you're waiting for the perfect time to unplug and take a break, you may be waiting forever, because the work is never done. You’ll never “find time” to rest and recharge. So you have to schedule it.

So here's my question for you this week: When are you going to take your next real break?

It can be a day, a weekend, a week, or a month.

Put it on the calendar this week. Treat it like a work commitment you can't miss. Plan around it. And use it as the perfect excuse to delegate and streamline things ahead of time so you can actually enjoy it. 

Because, as my wife likes to remind me, spending time looking at your laptop from Italy doesn’t count.

Reply and tell me about your choice. Where will you go, and what will you do to give your Explorer the chance to come out and play?

Live bravely,

Michael

Read more of my blogs here.