Curiosity In Motion: The Discipline to Pause

The Newsletter for Innovators and Entrepreneurs

Author

Malay Matalia
May 29, 2025

Welcome to this edition of Curiosity in Motion! The founders who go furthest aren’t just smart. They’re self-regulated. They master two things: the ability to protect their emotional energy and the discipline to pause before burnout. This month, we’re unpacking the invisible habits that separate sustainable leaders from reactive ones—and why rest isn’t the opposite of work, but the foundation for doing it well.

Let’s dive in.

➡️ Real Rest Is a Discipline, Not a Reward

Most founders wait until they’re fried to rest. The best ones schedule it before it’s needed. Not as indulgence—but as infrastructure.

Here are three high-leverage rest practices to protect performance:

Rest Practice

Why It Works

Implementation Tip

52–17 Rule

Your brain operates best in short bursts

Use a timer. Stop working after 52 focused minutes. Walk, stretch, reset.

CEO Thinking Time

Big decisions need margin

Block 90 mins/week for “thinking only.” No agenda. No screen.

Energy Rhythm Planning

We all have cognitive highs and lows

Do deep work during your energy peaks. Save admin for low periods.

💡 Key Takeaway: Rest isn’t a luxury—it’s a competitive advantage. Schedule it with the same intention as your next board deck.

➡️ Emotional Discipline Is a Superpower

You can’t scale if your attention is constantly hijacked. The best founders build an inner firewall: they stay grounded, clear, and calm—especially when things go sideways.

Here’s how:

1. Reframe, Don’t React
When tension rises, pause. Ask: “What else could this mean?” Reframing reduces conflict and keeps you out of fight-or-flight mode.

2. Know Your Triggers
Burnout doesn’t begin with spreadsheets—it begins with unchecked frustration, overcommitment, or misplaced expectations. Track the patterns.

3. Choose Response Over Reaction
It’s not about suppressing emotion. It’s about pausing before you project it. Calm founders don’t avoid hard conversations—they just show up for them with clarity.

💡 Key Takeaway: Stability is contagious. In a high-pressure environment, your emotional regulation is more valuable than your IQ.

➡️ AI Is Automating the Grind — But Judgment Still Wins

Generative AI tools have exploded across sectors—handling tasks from inbox management to proposal writing and even customer support. For founders, this wave of automation brings a tempting promise: do more, faster.

But there’s a trap here.

While AI handles volume, it can’t replace discernment. The founders getting ahead aren’t just automating—they’re reallocating their energy to what actually requires human nuance:

→ Strategic decision-making
→ Difficult conversations
→ Complex judgment calls

The smart shift isn’t just “use more AI.”
It’s: Use AI to protect your best hours for the work that only you can do.

Try this:

  • Use AI to summarize meetings or create outlines, but write final messaging yourself.

  • Automate invoice follow-ups, but personally handle overdue client conversations.

  • Let AI do the prep—you make the call.

💡 Key Takeaway: AI is here to help. But founders who combine leverage with intentional restraint are the ones preserving focus—and outperforming in the long run.

Leverage isn’t just about doing more—it’s about doing less with better focus. Founders who endure don’t just chase efficiency; they protect their judgment, guard their time, and build systems that flex when things get messy.
They don’t react to noise—they respond with clarity.

Until next time,
– The Curiosity in Motion Team