Pause to Ponder

How often do you stop throughout the day to just think? If I reflect on my day today, for example, I don’t know that I stopped once to just think. I am so busy throughout my days, that I move from task to task and just “do” versus thinking, reflecting, and acting. If I recognize this, why have I not made the change? Because according to Pontefract in “Open to Think”: “Better thinking is hard, not easy…There is not shortcut”. It takes time and effort to develop your thinking skills. In John C. Maxwell’s “Thinking for Change”, he outlines multiple ways to develop thinking skills. I am committing to start the following, in order to develop my critical thinking skills:

1.      Stretch Yourself: Drop assumptions, explore opposites and alternatives, learn something new.

2.      Schedule time regularly to be alone and just “think”: eliminate distractions that stop you from reaching out goals

3.      Write it down: write down thoughts, write down plans, and write down reflections

Good thinking is a skill that one can develop, but it takes time and EFFORT. Changing your thinking is the most important thing you can do to change the results of your actions---so why wouldn’t you want to change your thinking?!

When you feel overwhelmed or unable to think clearly, what do you do to “clear your thoughts” or allow yourself “time to think”? I would love to hear any tips or insight you have!