Thinking retreats
Blocks of time cleared of the schedule to sit with one hard problem
Setting aside a stretch of hours or days with nothing on the calendar, for the purpose of thinking through a problem that will not fit between meetings. Some people take these away from the office; others simply refuse bookings for a morning. The habit tends to go with a loose attitude to schedules in general, with meetings allowed to run long when the conversation is going somewhere. It is the working version of a long walk: unstructured time, one question, no interruptions.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Bill GatesDoes it
Microsoft co-founder · Gates Notes reading lists
From the 1990s he took an annual Think Week alone in a cabin on Hood Canal with a bag of books and papers, reading, thinking and writing for seven days and not even checking email. He credits a childhood of hours without interruption for the habit.
Source: Gates Notes: The cost of growing up online - Jeff BezosDoes it
Amazon and Blue Origin founder · Six-page memos and eight hours of sleep
Takes what he calls little thinking retreats to focus on problems, though he says he can focus all day and does not keep a strict schedule. His meetings often run long because, in his words, he believes in wandering.
Source: Lex Fridman Podcast #405 transcript: Jeff Bezos: Amazon and Blue Origin - Sahil BloomDoes it
Author · The 5 Types of Wealth
He sets three rules for his own Think Days and Think Weeks: limited technology, analog notebook and whiteboard, no meetings or calls. His advice is to test a one to two hour version before booking two to four days.
Source: The Curiosity Chronicle: The Think Week Playbook, a Step-by-Step Guide - Morgan HouselDiscusses
Writer · The Psychology of Money
Bill Gates alone in a waterfront cottage for Think Week is his example. Work that looks like a vacation and is not. Judging it by how visible the process is gets that exactly wrong, he says, since the process happens inside someone's head.
Source: Collaborative Fund: Lazy Work, Good Work
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under focus or productivity.
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Daily reading
A fixed daily reading block, usually books rather than feeds
On record from 25 of 62 tracked people: 23 do it, 2 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost
Early rising
A fixed, early wake time, often before anyone else is awake
On record from 11 of 62 tracked people: 10 do it, 1 has discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Daily writing
Write something every day, published or not
On record from 10 of 62 tracked people: 8 do it, 2 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost
Phone-free first hour
No email, news or social media until you have done something of your own
On record from 6 of 62 tracked people: 4 do it, 2 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost
Margin notes
Writing in the margins while reading, especially where you disagree with the author
On record from 4 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it, 1 recommends it - HabitFREE, no cost
Written goal sheet
Goals written down, in numbers, and kept where you see them every morning
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it
Habit entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.