This year I am going to do nothing more often!

Many of us struggle when we have nothing to do but research suggests that doing nothing can make us more creative and productive

Once upon a time when there was time…

Perhaps it’s just me but as each new year comes around there seems to be more and more emphasis on rushing around ‘doing’. Doing emails and doing meetings and checking social media and then writing more lists of things to be doing. 

Over the Christmas and New Year break I was thinking about thinking – that’s something I like to do a lot.  We all stuff our time so full of doing so many things that perhaps the STOP button seems almost a ridiculous thing to push. 

When I stop and think now – take a long walk or stare out of the window – I start to feel a creeping tinge of guilt that I should not be ‘just thinking’ I should be ‘doing’. 

Being busy has become a status symbol, a mark of prestige – you often hear people talking about just how busy they are.  But I remember a time, long ago in ancient history, a time when there was no internet and no email (yes there was a time like that) a time when just talking with colleagues or friends or just taking time to think was part of how things got done.

And even further back in time – when children were allowed to ‘get bored’ that is when the ideas flooded in for games or construction of fantasy worlds and imaginations would light up.  

These days we rarely just stop and think – if we do have a valuable spare moment, we inevitably pick up our nearest favoured piece of technology and get on it to do stuff.

So, this year I am going to resist the temptation to stuff every spare moment with doing. I am actively going to do less ‘stuff’ and create more ‘idle time’ so I can think more, and I am going to enable my colleagues to do the same. 

Because I know that if we want to become more successful, we need great ideas and if we want great ideas we have to think and if we want to think then we need to take time to do that. 

I know that it is those people who will have the strength and the courage to hold back the relentless need to ‘do’ stuff that will achieve great things.

If you can carve out space and time to STOP and THINK, then you will succeed in creating the best ideas.

 So, what should you do when you want some great ideas? Nothing!

There is a scientific link between boredom and creativity so, if you ever want to be busy doing something you could always look that topic up on the world wide inter web or even in a library!

·     When was the last time you just stopped to think?

·     What helps you have the best ideas?

·     Are you being too busy to think?

·     How can you create time and space to think?

·     Do you schedule in some time to stop and think? (That’s what Bill Gates and Warren Buffet do and its working out ok for them!)

·     Put some time in your diary to “Stop and Think”

·     Schedule in regular “think walks” but don’t put your head phones in!

Tina Catling