The Busier You Are, the More You Need Quiet Time

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Every week, I carefully curate inspiring articles and share my thoughts, accompanied by motivational quotes. I hope you enjoy this next edition of my Monday Motivation, and I look forward to hearing your feedback and suggestions for future topics.??

It is critical for people to focus on their physical and mental wellness to perform well and find purpose, particularly in their work. This week's article, The Busier You Are, the More You Need Quiet Time , highlights the benefits of reflection and time for ourselves, including the fact that taking time for silence restores the nervous system, helps sustain energy, and conditions our minds to be more adaptive and responsive. For example, silence is associated with the development of new cells in the hippocampus, the key brain region associated with learning and memory. But cultivating silence isn’t just about getting respite from the distractions of office chatter or tweets.?Real sustained silence, the kind that facilitates clear and creative thinking, and quiets inner chatter as well as outer. Try going on a media fast, sitting silently for two minutes during the middle of your workday, or taking a long walk in the woods — with no phone. The world is getting louder, but silence is still accessible.?

Even incredibly busy people can cultivate periods of sustained quiet time. Here are four practical ideas:?

Punctuate meetings with five minutes of quiet time.?

If you’re able to close the office door, retreat to a park bench, or find another quiet hideaway, it’s possible to hit reset by engaging in a silent practice of meditation or reflection.?

Take a silent afternoon in nature.?

You need not be a rugged outdoors type to ditch the phone and go for a simple two-or-three-hour jaunt in nature. Immersion in nature can be the clearest option for improving creative thinking capacities.??

Go on a media fast.??

Turn off your email for several hours or even a full day or try “fasting” from news and entertainment. While there may still be plenty of noise around—family, conversation, city sounds—you can enjoy real benefits by resting the parts of your mind associated with unending work obligations and tracking social media or current events.?

Take the plunge and try a meditation retreat.?

Even a short retreat is arguably the most straightforward way to turn toward deeper listening and awaken intuition.??

Stay on the beat with me and have an amazing start to your week ???

Yours,??

Mark?

Source

Zorn, J. (2017, July 27). The Busier You Are, the More You Need Quiet Time. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2017/03/the-busier-you-are-the-more-you-need-quiet-time ?

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