What Four Days in Paris Revealed

This September, I spent a few days in Paris. It gave me something I rarely get at home: more time to think. My cell phone data plan went on strike for four full days. To a digitally wired guy, it felt like trudging across the Sahara without a canteen. First-world problem, yes—but the gift was perspective.

Three observations stood out:

1. We need more time to ponder.

Smartphones feed us a constant drip of “what’s next.” News, emails, social media—there’s always something to lookup when we have a moment. Without my digital lifeline, I found myself more observant, more present, more thoughtful. It felt like turning down the background noise at a crowded party and finally hearing your own voice clearly. The lesson? Thinking time doesn’t just happen—you have to design it. I came home determined to carve out two extra hours each week to simply think, free of “input” from my devices. I think we believe we rule our phone, but perhaps the phone habit rules us.

2. Why not slow down a bit?

In Paris, meals aren’t fuel stops. They’re experiences. Breakfast, lunch, dinner—even a beer at the pub—all move at half the pace of American life. Watching Parisians linger over coffee is like seeing traffic lights switched from green to yellow for the entire day. Nobody is racing, and somehow, the world doesn’t end. We may celebrate hustle back home, but eating in the car or wolfing food while standing is sad. The French savor the smell of coffee and croissants. Maybe we should too.

3. Excellence in service matters.

I stayed at a few wonderful places that reminded me how rare true service has become. It’s like walking into a hotel that has perfected its scent—most don’t bother, but when you step into a place like Le Meurice in Paris, you feel calm the instant you leave the bustling street behind. Excellence doesn’t always cost more—but it requires leaders who care. When management sets the tone, employees rise to it.

Paris reminded me of this: there is always room to improve our lives. Optimists don’t wait for life to get better—they believe they can make things better.

— I.M. Optimisman