Why high performers can't switch off, even when nothing is on fire

High performers who can't switch off from work are rarely short of time. What they lack is the feeling that it is safe to stop. The mind stays on because slowing down feels risky: something might fall apart, and you would have to feel whatever the busyness has been covering. So rest has to be earned first, and the bar for earning it keeps rising.

This is for founders and C-level leaders who take the laptop on holiday and lie awake running numbers when nothing is urgent. Eva Johanna Egg names the feeling under her own push like this:

"If I slow down, everything falls apart."

What not being able to switch off looks like for high performers

For high performers, not being able to switch off rarely looks dramatic: you still ship and close deals. The difference shows in the gaps: weekends fill up with quick tasks, and in the evening your body sits on the sofa while your head sits in the pipeline review. Eva, looking back at how she used to work:

Some months ago, I used to think working non-stop was the only way to succeed.

Admitting I was overwhelmed felt like a small failure.

Why the usual advice to rest doesn't stick

The usual advice to rest doesn't stick because it changes the calendar while the belief that rest has to be earned stays in place. Eva heard the same tips everyone hears:

At the same time, everyone kept telling me:

"Take time for yourself."

"Concentrate on core competencies."

"Delegate non-essential tasks."

Sure, makes sense, I thought. But I quickly realized that applying these tips required much more discipline than I expected.

In the letter on her site, Eva describes what the belief that rest has to be earned looked like for her:

I couldn't not push. I couldn't not solve. I couldn't rest without earning it first.

What comes up when you finally stop

When you finally stop, the first thing that shows up is often restlessness. Under it are thoughts and feelings that had no room during the week. Eva asked her readers about this moment:

When was the last time you did nothing?

And I mean actually nothing.

Because the moment you stop, you create space.

And in that space, things come up.

You start to think.

You start to feel.

Staying busy is one way to avoid the space that opens when you stop. It works for a while, and it is one reason the head stays on long after the work is done.

What a week offline shows about how you lead

Time offline is also a leadership test. If the company stalls while you are away, the issue is how decisions get made, and your rest only makes it visible. Eva went fully offline for seven days during a product relaunch at Scripe:

Part of me expected to come back to a small fire somewhere.

Instead, I came back and the team had moved things forward, people had taken more responsibility, and our beta for the relaunch had officially started.

If everything slows down because the CEO is unavailable for a week, ownership, context, or trust is missing in the team.

Being needed can feel good.

But if every decision has to wait for you, you are the bottleneck with a fancy title.

Eva also gives talks and workshops for founder and leadership teams; the formats are on Workshops & speaking.

Where to start if you can't switch off

Start with one everyday decision and make it on purpose. The aim is to keep your drive and gain the choice to stop. Eva:

The point is not getting rid of anything. The point is being free. That you can decide.

You can decide to follow your intuition, or to follow a hard plan.

You can decide to chill for five hours, or to work.

You can decide to answer that Slack message in five minutes, or to take the time for yourself.

If deciding feels impossible because the push wins every time, that is the autopilot Eva works on in 1:1 sessions. Her own path from not switching off to enjoying her work is on My approach. And if the head that won't stop comes with a feeling that success should feel better than this, read successful but unhappy.

The moment you feel like you can't take a break is exactly when you need one most.