Space to Think

I spend a lot of time thinking about how to be more productive. How can I accomplish more? How can I use my time better? How can I get through the list?  I often struggle with the feeling that I always need to be accomplishing something.  But I'm realizing that being productive every minute of the day doesn’t necessarily lead to my best work.

A couple of weeks ago I was in Clearwater, Florida speaking to the Indoor Adventure and Trampoline Park Association.  (I was only half kidding when I asked if there would be a trampoline on stage).  I had some time after my presentation and decided to take a walk on the beach.

I didn't have anywhere to go. I wasn't trying to get a workout in. I just walked. And as often happens when I give myself that kind of space, my brain started working differently.  New ideas seemed to flourish and I gained clarity around a situation that I had been struggling with.

Proof that your best ideas rarely happen while staring at an open inbox.

As leaders, our calendars tend to reward visible productivity. Meetings, emails, phone calls, decisions, presentations all feel like work. Taking a 30-minute walk without an agenda can feel indulgent, particularly when there are 50 other things we could be doing.  But I’ve found some of our most valuable work happens when we're seemingly doing nothing.

Sitting at my desk with my inbox open might look productive, but it doesn't necessarily give me the space to wrestle with a difficult problem, think about where we're headed, come up with a new idea, or get in touch with how I’m feeling.

I think leaders need to create space for that kind of thinking. Our teams rely on us to solve today's problems, but they also need us to think about tomorrow. And it's hard to do that when every available moment gets filled with another task.

For me, walking seems to create that space. There's something about moving my body, changing my surroundings and removing the normal distractions that lets my mind wander into places it doesn't always go when I'm sitting behind my computer.

I'm trying to get better at recognizing that thinking deserves a place on my to-do list too.  Maybe I don’t need to fill every open space in my calendar. Sometimes the most productive thing I can do is close my computer and go for a walk.