We’re all busy. But when your brain is constantly in reaction mode, your best thinking never gets a seat at the table.

At Success Labs, we work with leaders who are expected to perform, adapt, and innovate—often at the same time. But here’s the paradox: the more critical your thinking becomes, the less time you have to actually do it.

That’s why the most effective leaders I know—and strive to be—treat thinking time not as a luxury, but as a discipline. Strategic whitespace isn’t something you find. It’s something you build.

Here are three practices that help me do just that:

1. Morning Pages: Clearing the Mental Clutter

Every morning, before I check email or open my calendar, I write three pages by hand. No structure, no pressure—just a stream of thought.

This practice, inspired by Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, has become my mental inbox zero. It catches the noise—anxieties, to-dos, random insights—so I can start the day clear-headed and focused on what matters most.

Sometimes I find patterns. Sometimes I uncover something I didn’t know I was worried about. Always, I get a better version of myself.

2. Clarity Breaks: Zooming Out on Purpose

I first learned about “clarity breaks” in an EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) environment—and I’ve stuck with them ever since.

Once a month, I schedule a 90-minute solo session. No laptop, just a notebook and a few prompts to guide my thinking:

• What strategic risks are we ignoring?
  
• What opportunities haven’t we captured?
  
• Where are we moving too slow?
  
• What’s got me excited right now?
  

These breaks aren’t reactive. They’re proactive. They remind me that my job isn’t to do everything—it’s to think clearly about the right things.

3. Walking Without Headphones: Moving Through Problems

Four times a week, I run or walk. No music. No podcasts. Just my brain and the road.

There’s something about getting the body in motion that helps me untangle complexity. Sometimes it’s an insight. Sometimes it’s clarity on what not to do. But nearly every time, I come back with sharper thinking and lower stress.

(Of course, I do load my brain with great inputs—books, articles, podcasts. Let me know if you want my go-to list.)

Final Thought:

The most strategic people I know aren’t the busiest—they’re the clearest. They protect their thinking time like their calendar depends on it. Because it does.

Whitespace is where resilience lives. It’s where vision sharpens. And it’s where the real work of leadership begins.

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Success Labs is a leadership development and management consulting firm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. For 40 years, our expert team of consultants has worked with hundreds of companies to grow leaders, build teams, and drive results through great people strategy. Contact us to get proactive about expanding your company’s potential and stay up to date with our latest news and leadership development updates here.

By: Adrian Owen Jones