I recently read an article on Yuval Harari – the author of Sapiens – in The New Yorker. I enjoyed reading Sapiens so I was curious to learn more about the author.
As it turns out, there is a habit of his that I find interesting. I believe that this habit plays an important role in his creativity and productivity. It’s the habit of having time to disconnect. Here is an excerpt from the article:
For more than a decade, Harari has spent several weeks each year on a silent-meditation retreat, usually in India. At home, he starts his day with an hour of meditation…
He has time to disconnect daily along with some longer periods each year. Furthermore, during such time, he did disconnect. For instance, he didn’t learn the result of the 2016 U.S. Presidential election until five weeks after the vote.
Okay, that may be a bit extreme. But the lesson here is clear:
Having time to disconnect is important.
Why is it important? Because it can help you see things from a different perspective. It can help you see the big picture without getting lost in the details. It can give you insights.
You should allocate time to disconnect daily. It could be in the morning or evening; choose whatever time that works for you. It could also take different forms: prayer, meditation, daily review or something else. The important thing is that you take a distance from your day-to-day life (with its distractions) and reconnect with your deepest values.
It’s not an easy thing to do in the hyperconnected world we live in. But it’s well worth the effort.
