Thinking Well
“All of science is nothing more than the refinement of everyday thinking.” — Einstein
A couple of weeks ago, I looked at what we need to do to get into the flow. When you’re in the flow of doing something, it’s because you’ve got some sort of a plan or a map. At the very least you have an idea. But creating space for ideas can be difficult.
If you are anything like me, then you’ll be very much in the business of doing during the day. Get up, sort out the morning routine, get started at work, do the work and then home. By the end of the day, all the creative space in the brain is gone.
So how do we create space to think and come up with ideas?
We stop doing.
Modern life is busier than ever. We are so focused on being productive, getting the most out of our days, cramming as much into it as possible that we are often missing out on some of the best thinking time. And as a result, we probably aren’t as innovative as we could be. Or as creative as we would like.
I’m very much a believer in working to your natural cycle. Whether you are a night owl or a morning lark, there will be different points in the day where you notice you are inspired and energised.
Likewise, if you tune into when your best ideas come to you, then you’ll find the space to start thinking well.
My best ideas come when my brain isn’t concentrating on anything in particular. Often, when I’m in the shower or walking somewhere. It’s the times when I’m not near a screen or within easy access to one that I have these ideas.
Business Psychologist Derek Draper says that: “a leader who hasn’t created such space for herself will be operating in a way that is primarily about responding to what is happening around her.
“She will be working hard but in a way shaped by externalities, not herself. She will feel she has little or no space and is far from being in command of her own life.”
So creating space to think is crucial if we want to be in control of our lives and not simply react to everything else around us.
Ask yourself: is my day determined by my own timetable or the one that everyone else puts on me?
If your answer is the latter, you are not alone. Creating a space to think should not be a luxury. Here are some ways in which you can develop your own space to think well.
Daydreaming
We underestimate the power of daydreaming. Staring out of the window at nothing in particular and letting our minds wander. When we are not constantly filling our time with things to do then we start to process what we’ve recently read and listened to so we can give it our own perspectives.
But this kind of time doesn’t serve well from being planned. When I talk about carving up your day to create time for this, it’s not possible to schedule in that thoughtful moment. Instead, it’s better to make a habit of doing little than it is to mark this time out as ‘the time you’ll have a brilliant idea’.
Boredom
Child psychologists are worried that our children are not given enough emphasis on boredom. From boredom comes ingenuity. And it is not just children who are told it’s not okay to be bored.
As adults, we pack our time with activities and things that we say are needed. As a working mum, I can assure you that simply sitting and staring is likely to bring on a massive pang of guilt that I should be “using the time better”. But is it really such a bad use of my time if I come up with a brilliant idea?
And what if I don’t? Is time only well spent if the result of that time is a tangible outcome?
Sometimes thinking alone is enough value that you need.
Journaling
I have recently fallen out of the habit of a daily journal. For three years I wrote and organised my thoughts at the start of the day. Even through tough times, I put pen to paper and thought about whatever popped into my mind.
Sometime this year, I lost this habit. I stopped the journal. Probably at a time when I needed it the most. And this is because it felt like another thing I needed to do. Another task to beat myself up about if I failed. The moment that journal became a point of success or failure in my day, was the moment it stopped being the useful exercise that I needed it to be.
Instead, that time has been filled with other work tasks and the thinking time has gone from my day. Of itself, a handwritten journal was to slow me down, to slow down the thought process and purposely take this moment away from a screen.
Ideas book
I also have an ideas book. A notebook where I put all my brilliant ideas that I’d love to do if only I have the time. It’s great to look back at and see what’s taken form and what I’m glad I never got distracted with.
Sometimes I draw these ideas out and other times I make a note that doesn’t mean anything after a few days. It’s not important. What is important is that I recognise I’m giving myself a space to think well.
So how can we overcome these problems and start thinking well?
It starts with practice. You will read about people who have morning meditation or yoga practice to start their day. I’m not so great at sitting still for meditation while the kids go a bit bonkers getting dressed. I’ve stuck a pin in this idea until they are older and it’s actually practical.
But the theory is there. Stop rushing everywhere and have a moment each day when you look around you. Maybe it’s taking your cup of tea outside to drink on your doorstep, watching the neighbours walk by. Or it’s taking a proper lunch break more often.
Perhaps, it’s going for a run or doing some mundane cleaning tasks. What works for you, it what slows your thinking down. It calms your worries and anxieties and allows you to see past what is happening right now to what possibilities can be.
Exercise the brain
Remember that our brain is a muscle like any other. If we practise, then we improve. Thinking is no different. Getting into the practice of thinking, through one of the ways above — or another that better suits you — is a great way to start developing your ideas beyond something that pops into your head.
If you do any kind of sport, you know that over time you will get better at it. Then, if you stop for even a couple of weeks, it can be like starting again. I often feel this way about yoga. Regular practise will keep me balanced (figuratively and literally) and push me to try more.
The same is true for our thinking. Fill your day with tasks, admin, distraction and all the other pressures of life and you’ll stop thinking as deeply or as critically as you once did. Doom scrolling and refreshing the news is not helpful either.
Instead, when you’ve read, watched or listened to something inspiring, let it sit with you for a while.
Thinking and productivity
Much of the writing online around thinking is relating it to productivity. This makes sense. We read about thinking in relation to self-improvement. But I’d like to uncouple thinking well from being productive.
The word ‘productive’ in itself is suggesting there is a product at the end. Something we monetise in one way or another. But what if thinking well is simply to bring us some fulfilment, to see the world and those around us in a different light?
What if all the grand talk of slow-living, switching off, and self-care is simply about letting our minds wander for nothing more than our own sense of being?
