The Return Doesn’t Have to Be a Rush

"Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes… including you." - Anne Lamott

What if re-entry was less about catching up, and more about tuning in?

As the hum of summer quiets and we step back into our routines, many leaders share the same experience: the inbox fills quickly, calendars compress, and the stillness that once helped us listen, to ourselves and to others, feels harder to find. What was once spacious becomes saturated. Noise returns.

And while noise can feel like movement, it’s not the same as momentum. We confuse volume for value. We speed up, not because it’s the best pace, but because everyone else seems to be running.

Greg McKeown, author of Essentialism, reminds us that clarity doesn’t come from doing more. It comes from protecting what matters most. And attention, too, is a signal of what we value, what we’re willing to centre.

So, what might it look like to resist the rush and re-enter with discernment?

You might experiment with:

• Beginning your day by naming one relationship you’d like to nurture, at home or at work.

• Noticing which voices linger after a meeting, and whose might still be waiting to be heard.

• Asking, “Where did my attention go today?” and “Was it aligned with what I care about most?”

Re-entry doesn’t have to mean urgency. It can be a quiet return to what truly matters.

With understanding,

Maria