Last week I spent a lot of my somewhat delayed summer vacation walking up and down the beach. And sometimes lying down on a blanket.
The last couple of months have been intense, with so many new things to deal with every day. There is rarely any time to process and reflect.
On the beach, I could once again take the time to read and listen to great books, talks, and posts. I could bounce ideas off an AI agent. And I could finally just let my mind drift.
Given time and space, the default mode network gets to work, and unexpected connections start to surface from all the unsorted things in my head.
I think there's value in spending more time on the beach (or wherever you prefer) regularly. Taking time to think and reflect without the goal of ending up with a result.
In my experience, that's usually when the great results show up.
Thinking needs time away was first published 2026‑10‑23