As the year winds down and the holiday season is in full swing, many of us feel the all-too-familiar pull to wrap up loose ends, tie everything neatly with a bow, and hurtle into January armed with new plans and ambitions. But what if we just stopped?
For leaders, the idea of pausing can feel counterintuitive. After all, we are trained to act, to decide, and to push forward, yes, even during the holiday season and on “holidays”. In a world that is in constant motion, it might feel like you need to stay connected. Especially in difficult economic or business situations.
Yet, ask anyone who disembarked off the burnout train, and they will tell you that there is immense power in intentional stillness, a space where creativity, clarity, and recalibration thrive. The trick is to do so well before we hit the burnout stage.
In the past few years, I have understood that pausing is not a lack of action. It is one of the most purposeful actions a leader can take. Embracing this perspective has made me a better person (I think!), though it required a mindset shift to overcome the belief that constant motion equates to progress.
Power of stillness
In a world that prizes busyness, pausing is often misunderstood as idleness. But stillness has been the quiet catalyst behind some of history’s greatest breakthroughs. Albert Einstein famously said he came up with many ideas while doing nothing in particular simply by allowing his mind to wander.
For leaders, a pause is not just about rest; it is about stepping back to gain perspective. When we are constantly in motion, we risk getting lost in the noise. Pausing creates the mental space to ask, “What is truly important?”.
Why leaders need to pause—even during a break
It is tempting to think that a holiday or time off is enough of a pause. After all, you are stepping away from emails, meetings, and the daily grind. But true pausing goes deeper than just taking time off. It is about creating intentional space to reflect and reset. Here are some reasons why leaders, in particular, should make time to pause even during a break:
1. Clarity in the noise
A break can be filled with its own kind of busyness: holiday plans, family obligations, or even the pull to “catch up” on personal tasks. The truth is that true clarity comes from stepping away from all the noise, external and internal, and asking yourself what truly matters. Pausing allows you to cut through the clutter and identify what you want to bring forward into the new year—and what you are ready to leave behind.
2. The creativity of stillness
The best ideas often come when we are not actively searching for them. During a break, many of us keep ourselves occupied, even in downtime. But intentional stillness, whether through a walk, journaling, or just sitting with your thoughts, creates the mental space for new ideas and connections to emerge. It is not just about doing less; it is about being present with yourself.
3. Recalibration for what lies ahead
Leaders often go into a new year with big plans, but without recalibration, those plans can feel like extensions of the chaos from the year before. Pausing intentionally during a break helps you assess where your energy stands and what you need to replenish before stepping into the challenges and opportunities of the year ahead.
A strategic retreat over the holidays
A pause is not necessarily a vacation. While time off is valuable, a purposeful pause—a “strategic retreat”—offers something different. It is a time to reflect, reimagine, and reset.
Here is how you can approach the holidays with intention:
Your pause plan
1. Carve out the time
Start by claiming your pause. Block out time on your calendar for stillness, even if it is just an hour a day during the holidays. Treat this time as non-negotiable.
- Find a quiet place where you can disconnect from distractions.
- Communicate your pause to those around you, so they understand this is intentional time for reflection.
- If that is not possible to be away, wake up slightly earlier than usual and take 10 minutes to do this exercise. You will thank your younger self.
2. Reflect on key questions
Pausing is not about overthinking; it is about asking the right questions and letting them sit. Use your own or borrow from others. Here are a few to guide your reflection:
- What am I carrying into 2025 that I no longer need?
- What do I want to prioritise in the year ahead?
- What has gone unacknowledged—either successes to celebrate or lessons to learn?
Write these questions and the answers down and allow your thoughts to surface naturally.
3. Embrace discomfort
Stillness can feel unfamiliar, even uncomfortable, especially if you are used to constant motion. Resist the urge to fill the silence. Trust that the discomfort is part of the process, and that clarity often comes on the other side.
4. Listen, do not solve
In the quiet, give yourself permission to simply listen, to your instincts, to your emotions, to the ideas that bubble up. This is not the time to create detailed plans; it is the time to explore possibilities. Write down what comes up by all means but leave the planning to a later date.
Take the pause, lead with intention
This holiday season, grant yourself permission to pause. Use this time not as a race to finish everything or a distraction from the year ahead but as a purposeful retreat to reconnect with what truly matters to you.
As you step into 2025, do so with clarity, creativity, and a renewed sense of purpose—knowing that the best leaders are not those who always act, but those who also know when to stop.
Take your time, and let it begin with intention.
Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas, and a joyful pause with those who matter to you.
And as always, if you invest in yourself, the rewards will be unfathomable.
Until next time.
Ps. This is part four of a five-part series (see last week’s post). If you want to keep up, please consider subscribing. Next week, for our final post for 2025, we are focusing on love, specifically about a love letter to the future.
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