Unstructured time is the definition of a restful vacation.
There’s nowhere you have to be. Nothing to do. There’s more space between activities. More quiet. Everything slows down. You notice you’re breathing more deeply. You’re more present.
This summer holiday, notice how things seems better – especially the quality of your thinking.
Time to think – with nothing else on the agenda – is the source of creativity and ingenuity. We need blank spaces in our workday too, not just on vacation. But ‘time to think’ is the first thing to go in a high-pressured work environment.
When success is measured by productivity, output, and deadlines met, blank spaces in the agenda are not an easy sell. They don’t look productive. To make space for everything that needs to get done, corners are cut and time for thinking takes a back seat to ‘getting things done.’
What do you do when you’re under pressure?
You may choose to rely on your quick mind to get a lot done in a short amount of time. You take for granted that your mind will continue to serve you – without oiling the mental gears.
Breathing room, however, is necessary. Ceaseless pressure to perform will drain your mental energy. You’ll find you’re squeezing out your work rather than creating output you value. For many, this leads to burn out and career dissatisfaction.
It may seem counterintuitive, but blocking ‘time to think’ in your agenda is not only healthy, it makes you more efficient.
Here’s how:
- Thinking time allows for deeper knowing to surface to your conscious mind.
- Creativity is increased when you have time for unstructured thinking, rather than staying in problem-solving mode.
- Time allows you to process information, make sense of it and reorganize it in your mind more efficiently.
- Time to think increases your focus. You’re decluttering your mind of everything that had been taking up space during the day.
- Patterns emerge that you couldn’t see during a busy workday.
- You’ll be better able to handle more complex tasks because you’ve trained your brain to think deeply.
- You’ll be more strategic in your work because you’ve now got an accurate picture of what’s going on.
Research confirms that time for thinking improves efficiency.
Call centre employees who spent 15 minutes at the end of the day reflecting on their work performed 23% better after 10 days than those who did not reflect.
Counter the culture. Book time to think.
1. Identify what you want to think about ahead of time.
What’s working? Not working?
How am I contributing to my results?
What may I not be seeing?
What might I be avoiding?
2. Identify when and where you’ll do your best thinking.
Early morning while you’re fresh?
Walking in nature?
Brainstorming in your office with the door closed?
Creating a cozy environment at home where no one will disturb you?
3. Schedule this time in your agenda.
Treat it as sacred. You may want to block it in your shared calendar so everyone in your office/home is aware you’re unavailable during this time.
4. Plan to follow through.
Telling yourself you’ll just ‘do it’ won’t be enough.
Ask yourself, what might get in my way of taking this time? What else might I choose to do instead? What will help me remember in the moment that this time is sacred to my productivity and my wellbeing?
Bask in the richness of the empty spaces you’ve created. They’re not really empty. You’ll find yourself there – and your best ideas.
With love and gratitude,
Lynda
