Ever find yourself lying on a beach — or sitting at a café on vacation — yet your mind keeps churning through to-do lists and ideas? You tell yourself to relax, but your brain has other plans.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. And in fact, it might be a sign of something useful — if you learn to listen to it the right way.
Dear reader — if you’re reading this, it probably means you share a trait I often notice in high-functioning people:
Even when you’re on vacation, your mind keeps operating in “work mode.”
You try not to check your notifications. You tell yourself: I’m going to disconnect.
But your brain? It’s still running.
The ability to think deeply is, in my opinion, one of the greatest blessings we have as humans. The brain is a universe of its own. If we dig a little deeper, you’ll find that the reason your brain keeps spinning is that you have things you still want to achieve — things that are tied directly to your sense of self.
For example, your mind might nudge you to organize something, or to complete a task connected to a project you care about. And when that project succeeds — even if no one else notices — you experience a sense of personal satisfaction.
It’s internal, not external.
And here’s the key: this trait tends to appear when you expect a lot from yourself.
Why Does This Happen?
To really understand this, we each have to go on a journey inward — to explore our intentions, our motives, our psyche.
And that journey isn’t easy. The brain can be lazy. It often jumps to the first answer that feels right, then builds logic around it. It can even construct an entire world to justify it.
So if you take this journey, be prepared: you’ll need to question everything.
Don’t automatically trust your first thoughts — not even your own brain. Keep asking why, until you reach a deeper level of clarity and understanding.
A Small Side Note — AI as a Companion
With the rise of AI and AI agents, you can actually train an AI to help you in this self-exploration. Have it interact with you in a meaningful conversation, analyze your thoughts, ask follow-up questions.
If privacy matters, you can even do this locally. It’s a tool — not a replacement for deep thinking, but a very good companion for it.
So What Does It Mean If Vacation Mode Won’t Activate?
In simple terms, it means your brain is telling you:
YOU CAN DO MORE!
That’s not always a bad thing. In fact, you can use this as an indicator of where your drive is coming from — of where your energy naturally wants to go.
But here’s the nuance: this doesn’t mean you should work 24/7. That leads to burnout.
It means, at minimum, you should channel that drive into consistent, small actions that move you forward — one step at a time.
The One-Thing-Per-Day Rule
If you look at many high-functioning people, one pattern stands out:
They make progress fast.
Why? Because they do one thing every day that keeps them moving.
It doesn’t have to be the perfect thing. It doesn’t even have to be the “right” road. In fact, sometimes they pick the wrong road — but because they’re moving, they quickly learn and adjust.
They don’t get stuck trying to decide: Should I go right or left?
They pick one direction with the information they have, start walking, and if it’s wrong, they switch.
This builds momentum — and momentum compounds exponentially over time.
And sometimes, that one thing doesn’t even have to be about work.
Go make something disruptive.
Go get a wild haircut.
Do something you’ve been wanting to do for a long time.
This can help too — it shakes things up, gives you new energy, and gets you out of your head.
Final Thoughts
If you find yourself unable to fully disconnect during vacation, don’t panic.
It’s a signal, not a flaw.
Use it wisely.
Channel it in small ways.
But also know when to step back and rest — that’s part of sustainable high performance.
And remember this: even one small action per day, over a year, will change you.
Live in the moment. Don’t look too far ahead, and don’t stay trapped in yesterday.
Just move — and trust that over time, you’re building something greater than you can see today.
If this resonates with you — I’d love to hear your thoughts. Do you experience the same thing? How do you manage it?
Feel free to share your reflections in the comments.