For many business leaders, time away from work can feel counterintuitive.
There is always another decision to make, problem to solve, email to answer or person who needs support. The to-do list rarely gets shorter, and a break can feel like lost momentum.
But Happiness Co founder and CEO Julian Pace believes time away from the pressures and demands of work can prove invaluable.
It’s an insight he gained during a 14-day expedition to Annapurna Base Camp in Nepal which raised funds and support to help others move their “mental mountains”.
The trek took Mr Pace away from his usual work environment and the constant demands of running an organisation.
The distance from work gave him room to think. “You don’t often find clarity in the noise, you find clarity in the peace,” he said.
It also tested him physically; he experienced altitude sickness and pushed through discomfort, exhaustion and uncertainty.
The physical and mental challenge reinforced a lesson about resilience – that difficult periods can pass and discomfort can be part of growth.
Without the usual stream of meetings, emails, cash-flow concerns and leadership decisions, he was able to focus on what was important – what Mr Pace describes as a leader’s “true north”.
He explained that business owners can become so focused on progress, growth and speed that they lose sight of the purpose that motivated them in the first place.
“The compass was invented before the clock,” he said.
“Where you’re going is more important than how long it takes you to get there. It’s never too late to pick up your compass again.”
He said leaders could easily mistake movement for progress. A full calendar and constant activity might suggest a business is advancing when its leader may instead be circling the same problems.
The Nepal trek allowed Mr Pace to assess what had brought him to this point in his career and whether the same approach would take him where he wanted to go next.
“What got you here won’t necessarily get you there,” he said.
That reflection has become increasingly important as expectations of leaders have expanded.
Mr Pace said leaders were expected not only to deliver commercial results, but also to create safe workplaces, support employee wellbeing, foster inclusive cultures and help people feel heard and valued.
“I don’t think leaders have ever been as under the pump as they are now,” he said.
Those demands make recovery and perspective more important, not less.
Yet leaders often wait until exhaustion or burnout hits before they take a break, rather than setting aside time for themselves in advance.
Mr Pace uses the analogy of placing the “big rocks” into a container first, before allowing the sand and pebbles to fill the gaps.
The big rocks represent priorities such as family, holidays, health, reflection and recovery, while the sand and pebbles represent work, deadlines and everyday demands.
“The to-do list is never ending. There will always be something to get done,” he said.
He said leaders should put those priorities in their calendars first and allow work to fit around them, rather than wait for a quiet period that may never arrive.
“You can love your career deeply and still take time for yourself,” Mr Pace said.
Leaders could return with greater capacity, sharper focus and more energy for their teams.
“When we take breaks, our capacity increases,” he said. “When we don’t take breaks, our capacity decreases.”
Time away can also reveal how much trust a leader has in their team.
For founders accustomed to involvement in every decision, handing responsibility to others can prove difficult.
However, Mr Pace said the challenge sometimes has less to do with what the organisation requires and more to do with a leader’s sense of identity and importance.
“We find our purpose, our significance and our independence in our careers,” he said.
“When we don’t have that for a few days, we can feel lost without it.”
Not every business owner can spend two weeks in Nepal – and a reset does not need to involve an overseas expedition or an extended break from work.
Mr Pace said the same principle could apply on a much smaller scale. Half a day out of the office, a phone-free walk, some exercise, meditation, reading or simply 20 uninterrupted minutes can provide space away from everyday demands.
Research suggests even relatively short periods of exercise and time in nature can have measurable effects on mood and stress. Studies report mood benefits after 20 minutes of exercise and reductions in the stress hormone cortisol after 20 to 30 minutes spent in nature.
Happiness Co encourages people to devote at least 20 minutes to activities associated with positive mood, connection and motivation, from time with loved ones and exercise to reading or pursuing a goal.
“You have to find a way to take moments away from what you love,” Mr Pace said.
Since the Nepal trek, Mr Pace said his ambition and energy had not diminished; he simply had greater clarity about where to direct them.
For Mr Pace, the lesson was that a break from work was not separate from leadership, but part of it.
“Resetting isn’t quitting,” he said. “Sometimes you have to step away to come back as a better leader.”
