‘Creativity doesn’t flourish under rigid schedules, in a corporate suit and tie’ – Leaders on learning to log off 

“These days too many of us are stuck in a loop – desperately seeking validation, grinding through meaningless tasks, and living by someone else’s agenda, and it’s killing creativity. 

“Life has become exhausting, unoriginal, and uninspiring. Creativity doesn’t flourish under rigid schedules, in a corporate suit and tie; it demands freedom, risk, and a dash of rebellion.”

This is what Glen Smith, Creative Director of A&E Creative Consulting, explained about the need to unplug as much as possible. 

“That’s why exploration is vital. Think of it as playtime for grown-ups – a new mindset that empowers you to shake off the mundane and engage with the world in a way that sparks ideas and ignites change.”

On LinkedIn, Smith talked about the explorer mindset – a term used for ground-breaking approach to discovery. 

The explorer mindset is all about harnessing curiosity, empathy, and empowerment to unearth practical solutions, challenge assumptions, and create something that’s genuinely new. And you don’t need to be trekking through jungles or solving global crises to embrace it – you can channel this mindset into your personal or professional life, no matter where you are.

In short, this mindset means really logging off and play: away from the endless loop of unsustainable goals, fleeting trends and constant consumption – it means connecting to yourself and the world. 

“Explore new surroundings, art, architecture, cultures. Shake up your routine and let your mind breathe.”

“Whether it’s wandering an unfamiliar neighbourhood, trying out a random hobby, or delving into a topic you know nothing about, exploration stimulates the brain, builds cognitive flexibility, and fuels originality. Mental stimulation builds new neural pathways – every new experience increases your mental capacity and sharpens creative thinking.”

MaltaCEOs.mt spoke to another leader, Joanna Delia, Doctor and CEO of People&Skin, about the need to log off as much as possible.

“I have experienced feeling trapped in a very intellectually, emotionally and physically demanding career – when I was working in hospital and I decided to categorically schedule rest and complete detachment from work for long periods of time,” she said. 

“The benefits of this are so obvious that I find it shocking most persons don’t see this. How can you experience neo-creative thoughts and ideas when you are bent double in routine and long hours? How can you effect improvement, progress, future strategies and business development? How can one even think clearly without significant breaks?” 

“And all of this is over and above the clear benefits to mental health, and necessity to form strong connections with other human beings – be it your children, or friends and family.”

Recent studies back these opinions up. In 2025, this meta-analysis research paper analysed 32 studies that include 256 effect sizes to examine how employee well-being levels change due to vacation. 

In sum, not only are vacations great for you, but they provide much stronger benefits than previously thought – with positive effects lasting long after the return back to work – but only if you truly disconnect during your time off. This means no email checking, no work calls, meetings, planning -completely unplugging from work calls. 

Not only is time-off imperative for good mental health – the consequences of not logging off are expensive for business. 

According to EU research, even minor levels of depression are associated with production losses, with EU-OSHA, from as early as 2014, estimating that it costs Europe €240 billion/per year, of which €136 billion/per year is the cost of reduced productivity.