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The Power of Powering Down

As we have all returned to the busy pace of Berwick life once again this week, I have been struck deeply by the rather insidious expectation and unquenchable thirst we seem to have for communication of all types. This is not to dismiss the need at schools for great communication. To the contrary, I would offer that most of my toughest and most important moments as a leader have revolved around challenges associated with communication – whether to our internal or external audiences. The need for transparency and informed expectations are essential component to running a solid school these days. I certainly know that I have plenty of room for growth in this area.

But it is also true that I spent the majority of my time last week with my cell phone off, my computer gone, and in the presence of a roaring fire. Music, backgammon, cribbage, and conversations were ubiquitous. Without such immediate access to email or CNN, a rather cliché epiphany emerged: I had everything I needed right where I was. The simplicity of this new rhythm, uninterrupted by new meetings or breaking news feeds, felt so foreign for the first few days. Similarly, the return to multitasking and omnipresent technology has felt overwhelming upon returning to Burleigh Davidson.

Sometimes I am hard on myself during vacations; I am so easily frustrated that I can’t get into a vacation rhythm more quickly. But the reality is that it is hard work powering down. It takes intentionality, it takes willpower, and it takes sitting with oneself in far more mindful and present ways than normal. That said, it is such a worthwhile effort to put oneself into this new frame of mind. I suppose it is really nothing new from Thoreau’s famous reflections on simplicity at Walden Pond, but technology does make this feel so much more acute these days.


As we re-engage now for a few months back in the busy rhythm of Berwick (Mr. Hawes always says you can only truly evaluate the quality of a school while it grinds through January and February), I know that I will continue trying to braid in these moments of powering down. We must find a way to combat our insatiable drive for communication in our daily lives. I am sure many people were frustrated by the depth of the polar vortex over our most recent winter break, but the time it offered me in front of the fire was a beautiful and unexpected gift.

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