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Issue 72: The best career move might be a boring walk

ISSUE 72

3 FEBRUARY 2026 | READ ONLINE​

Hi Reader,

I have a new goal:

To stop renting my brain to the internet.

I wonder if you do this, too. Every time there’s a sliver of space, whether it’s walking, driving, or waiting for the kettle to boil, your hand reaches for your phone. Not because you need anything, but because quiet can feel strangely unfamiliar.

This week, I caught myself doing it again. Thumb hovering. That little itch to fill the gap.

So I made a decision that felt both boring and wildly grown-up (and yes, I am a fully formed adult):

I left my phone at home in a drawer when I went for my walk.

No podcast. No audiobook.
Just me, the fresh smell of winter air, and the unfiltered sound of my own thoughts.

I walked down to Lake Washington, and it was exactly what I didn’t realize I’d been missing. Still water, soft light, and the crunch of pine needles under my feet.

And standing there on the dock, I had this reminder.

If you want to deeply understand yourself, you need enough quiet to actually hear yourself.

Not more input. Not more opinions. Not one more ‘here’s what you should do with your life’.

Space.

Because most of the purpose-driven, high-capability leaders I coach aren’t stuck because they lack discipline or intelligence. They’re stuck because they’re overloaded.

Maybe this is you.

You’ve been running so fast, doing the right things, holding the responsibility, supporting everyone else, that your own inner signal has become background noise.

And you say things like:

“I don’t know what I want next.”
“I think I’m doing well, but something feels off.”
“I can lead my team through anything, but I can’t make a decision for myself.”

In my coaching sessions, we don’t always start with a plan.

We start by creating space.

Because once there’s room, the real work becomes possible: understanding what you value now (not ten years ago), noticing what drains you (even if you’re great at it), and seeing where you’ve been tolerating things simply because you’re capable enough to survive them.

That kind of self-knowing changes everything:

  • In your career, you stop choosing based on optics and start choosing based on fit.
  • As a leader, you respond with steadiness instead of reacting with speed.
  • In your life, you stop outsourcing your clarity, and you start trusting your own decisions again.

And if you like a little science with your walks, here’s what I love: the research is catching up to what many of us feel intuitively.

  1. A January 2026 open-access paper from Nature followed 318 parents day-to-day and even measured stress hormones (cortisol). On days with personal time, people reported a better mood and showed signs of improved stress recovery. Quiet isn’t indulgent. It’s restorative. Here’s the link​
  2. A January 2026 piece from The Washington Post pulls together research showing we consistently overestimate how boring it will be to sit with our thoughts and underestimate how enjoyable and useful it can be. Mind-wandering (when it’s not spiralling) supports problem-solving and creativity, especially during activities like walking or showering. Here’s the link.
  3. A 2026 systematic review in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience synthesizes neuroimaging research on ‘flow,’ suggesting that some of our best thinking occurs when the brain blends creativity with control (idea generation with focus) rather than being constantly interrupted by noise and distraction. Link here.

So yes, this is me formally giving you permission to be ‘boring’ on purpose.

A Small Experiment for This Week

Here are two options for you. Take your pick. The 5-minute version or the 45-minute reset.

Option A: The 5-minute quiet rep

Take five minutes with no input and answer just one:

  • What have I been tolerating that I don’t want to tolerate anymore?
  • What do I already know but keep asking others to confirm?
  • If I honored my values this week, what would I say no to?

Option B: The 45-minute reset

Block 45 minutes. No audio. No scrolling.

Walk. Sit. Journal. Stare out a window. Let your mind breathe.

Then write:

  • “The version of success I’ve been chasing lately is …”
  • “The thing I actually want is …”
  • “The value I’m ready to protect this month is … and it will require me to …”

​

Give it a try. And let me know if it is helpful

See you next week,

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I encourage you to find the courage to be bitched about.

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