Finding Your Rhythm When the Road Ends

Being back at the desk is often harder than the travel itself.

I’m back in my home office in Bali after three weeks on the road. I spent that time in the room with clients, facilitating sessions and helping leadership teams build out their strategies. It was high energy and high impact—the kind of work that fills your cup but also requires every ounce of your focus.

But now that I’m back at my desk, the transition is hitting me.

Even with only a two-hour time zone difference, my internal clock is off. I find myself sitting here jumping from one task to the next, unable to settle on a single priority.

It is a strange irony. I spend my professional life helping business owners gain clarity and focus, yet here I am, feeling scattered. This mental "ping pong" is a normal part of the adjustment, but that doesn't make it any less exhausting.

The distractions aren’t exactly helping. Nick has headed off to the SuperAI conference in Singapore and is taunting me with memories of Singapore Slings at the Raffles Hotel.

In business, we talk constantly about the importance of a "rhythm." When you break that rhythm for three weeks, you can’t expect to find your flow the second you sit back down. Forcing it usually just leads to more frustration and a mounting sense of guilt that you "should" be further ahead.

The truth is, clarity usually comes when you stop trying to wrestle it into existence.

I’ve decided that if I can’t be productive at my desk right now, I will be productive elsewhere. Strategic thinking and planning can happen just as well with a coffee in hand or with sand between my toes as they can in front of a monitor.

So, I’m listening to what my brain needs today. Should I head to the cafe or take the dogs to the beach? 😜