Why is rest so hard to take? We’ve made routines around “go-go go!” Our to-do lists are never-ending. Many of us insist on overworking for fear of letting our teams down. We feel like we don’t have the luxury of time to slow down and simply be with ourselves. But taking time to reset, recharge, and be alone in silence is an underutilized tool for effective leaders: to recharge fully now is to invest in becoming our best.

So, in a commitment to fully recharge, I take 10 minutes to sit quietly alone in silence before the day begins. I do this to be present to my own body and thoughts before applying myself to the tasks and challenges I need to solve each day. I find that priming my days with dedicated time to sit with myself in silence is vital to my success, leaving me more self-aware, focused, and ready to face the day.

(more…)