What can we untether from?
Without, you know, drifting into the abyss like the ending of some space thriller
Hi! My name is Bree, and I write about how to have better days at work (and in life). Subscribe for writing on everything from building cozy teams to living a Portfolio Life. You’ll also be the first to know about book launch events and giveaways—Today Was Fun will hit bookstores July 2025!
“People love to tether to things, don’t they?”
This question came about 8 seconds into meeting a very wise human who asked me how my new author life was going. I responded that I love so much of it, but it’s also odd to feel untethered.
Untethered… the word rolled off my tongue. I thought I was just being chatty in the “How are you? Good, how are you?” kind of way. I didn’t realize how much was wrapped up in the concept at the time.
I imagine the existential fear of an astronaut floating in space, desperately trying to carabiner herself to the mothership. Stretch… fumble… oh god… AHH… Safety. Structure. Limits. Even the fact that my first instinct was to write “mothership” instead of rocketship gives major umbilical vibes.
I’ve been experimenting with how I structure my days now that I don’t have a program manager or meetings magically appearing on my calendar. I could design almost anything (working 6a-noon then calling it, daily tea time, museum mornings and deep work afternoons) and yet my first instinct was to design a kind of corporate looking, 9-5 day. Why???
I know why. It feels like a tether.
It feels safe. Normal. Respectable. Test-driven. Dare I unclip myself?
I think about the ways businesses tether themselves, too. Annual planning. Quarterly business reviews. RTO schedules. Recurring meetings. Goal setting. Performance reviews.
Now part of my brain is like: BREE. You are naming sensible organizational structures that keep a business running smoothly and allow it to scale.
It’s true. Gotta keep the trains running. But also, like spotting Waldo amidst the crowd, I’d venture to guess there are at least a few rituals in any organization that are not like the rest. They’re not helpful. They’re tethers. Umbilicals to the mothership of “how we do business” in our culture.
I feel pretty confident most organizations could cut like half of the activities in their performance review process and nothing bad would happen. Any recurring status meeting where most people are camera off is prime untethering territory. And hell, the 4-day workweek movement has companies untethering from an entire day of work.
I get, intimately, that it’s not fun to feel floaty; that it takes bravery to untether and wisdom to know which tether is optional and which is the oxygen supply. Because surely sometimes a tether is a connection that protects us. But other times it keeps us from exploring. Just ask any toddler with one of those leash backpacks.
My question for you is this:
Do you have a tether that is worth unclipping? I’d love to hear what you’re considering.
When I was a high school math teacher I used to keep a bag of portable dry erase boards and markers at the ready so I could take my classes outside to do math on nice days. It felt entirely untethered to the norm that students should be in seats. Facing forward. No fidgeting. It felt mischievous in the way a nap on a Tuesday feels mischievous. And yet it was glorious. They were my favorite days and I know the students loved them too. We were out of the building. We felt free. I didn’t have to leash a single kid.
Wishing you all a bit of freedom today.
✨
P.S. If you’re looking to untether from your desk, some inspiration from my friend, Ian.