Untouchable Days: Making Space for Deep Work and Big Thinking
Untouchable Days: Making Space for Deep Work and Big Thinking
It’s easy to stay busy. But staying effective? That takes discipline.
That’s why I swear by something I call Untouchable Days - pre-scheduled, protected blocks of time where I’m off the meeting grid, out of the email vortex, and free to think, create, or solve something big.
There’s a guy named Bill Gates who also does this routinely.
It’s not about retreat. It’s about focus.
It’s when strategy gets refined. Messaging gets written. Vision gets clarified.
It’s where the work that matters most actually gets done. Think about the Pareto Principle (The 80/20 Rule), where a large percentage of the production comes from a little effort.
That’s what this day is about.
For me, an Untouchable Day means: No meetings. Not even "quick calls." No email or Slack before 4pm. No social media. Phone in airplane mode. A specific, meaningful project to tackle. A different physical environment (often a library or cabin). A clear start and end time.
Too many leaders operate reactively (me included!), are always on, always responding. But if you never step back, you never leap forward.
Our brains weren't designed for constant context-switching. Every time you bounce between your spreadsheet and your inbox, you're paying what researchers call a "switching cost." Studies from UC Irvine found that it takes an average of 23 minutes to get back to full concentration after an interruption.
Ask yourself: A year from now, what will have mattered more - that you responded to every email within 24 hours, or that you created something substantial? That you attended every meeting you were invited to, or that you drove your most important initiatives forward?
The answer is obvious. But making it happen? That requires intention.
During these Untouchable Days, I’m able to spend a few hours on a single task and get into that elusive flow state.
So I build Untouchable Days into my rhythm. And I defend them like they’re a meeting with the CEO. Because in a way they are.
The CEO is me. And the agenda?
Make space for brilliance.
