Do you have enough thinking time?

 Sometimes you need to take a step back and ... think

Last week I spoke about procrastination and either not taking enough action or the fear of starting something.  At the other end of the scale, we can be so busy 'actioning' that we don't have any 'thinking' time.  


Taking time out to simply think is really important.  It's what actually keeps us progressing and moving forwards.  If we don't have the capacity for strategic thinking then how are we we going to keep coming up with new ideas.  From thinking things through we can then take the necessary action.

I always used to take the mickey out of Mr Bob when he announced he was taking himself off for some thinking time.  Mainly because that usually meant I could hear him snoring within 10 minutes!  Thinking time?  Yeah right.  Although I shouldn't be too hard on him because it does seem to work.  Any time he has a problem or needs to come up with a new way of working, he steps back and takes time to think things through and always comes up with a solution or a new innovative way of doing something.

Myself on the other hand, if I'm not procrastinating and fretting about doing something perfectly, then I'm going at 100 mph just doing, doing, doing.  I definitely need to take some tips from Mr Bob and create some more thinking time to strike a happy medium.

I think the main reason that many of us don't do this more often is for the very same reason I used to laugh at Mr Bob, it's because we feel other people will think we're not actually being productive.  But our support network around us, such as our boss, colleagues, partners should be actively encouraging us to step away from the day-to-day distractions from time to time as everyone will benefit in the long run.  Think back to those occasions when you and your colleagues have stepped away from your desks and simply sat in a room brainstorming ideas.  Once you start the thinking process, it's like taking your foot off the creative brakes and the new ideas start to flow.

How to create more thinking time:

  • Actually make the decision to have more thinking time and book it as an appointment.  Even if you only have one hour, block it out in your diary and let other people know you are not going to be available.
  • Don't sit at your desk, move somewhere else.  Make sure you are comfortable, relaxed and have no distractions ... plus a good supply of coffee!
  • Don't force yourself to think if it's not happening straight away.  Start by simply writing down one word on a post-it note and take it from there.  
  • In a work situation, actively encourage your boss and colleagues to have thinking time.  If you have a problem to fix then why not suggest a short workshop where you can all get together and brainstorm ideas.
  • Don't make thinking time a one-off.  The more you do it, the easier it will become to start the creative thinking flow.
Have a great week and start thinking!!

#2020

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