It’s only by stepping briefly away from my wife and bosses and friends that I’ll have anything useful to bring to them.
Pico Iyer
This quote comes from an article published late last year in the NY Times.
And can I just say…
Aaaaaah, and…
I agree, and …
Of course I agree – it’s the kind of thing I say all the time!
‘Doing less’. Being silent. Taking time out – this is how we can regain balance in our lives. It helps us
- worry less
- feel calm
- tap into innovative breakthroughs
- make decisions easily
- feel more self assured
If ‘doing nothing’ were a pill
it would be worth a fortune!
Pico also says:
In my own case, I turn to eccentric and often extreme measures to try to keep my sanity and ensure that I have time to do nothing at all (which is the only time when I can see what I should be doing the rest of the time)
Exactly! Well not the bit about the eccentric measures, since that’s not always necessary, but the last bit
“doing nothing is the only time when I can see what I should be doing the rest of the time”
This is what I mean when I say ‘Doing nothing’ is one of the most productive things you can do.
And it’s not just Pico and me and a few other hippie dudes saying this.
Innovative business (often the technology based ones where being creative is in the job description) are starting to include ‘downtime’ for employees as part of the work week – why? Well because it’s great for creativity which is great for the bottom line!
High end hotels are starting to charge more for rooms without an electronic view – no television, no internet, no cell phone reception!
So why is Doing Nothing so helpful? I mean, what is the mechanism by which it works??
Well, it’s because of the what I call …
The Wisdom and Productivity Cycle.
Actually, sometimes I call it The Spiral of Change, but whatever we’re calling it, let me explain:
1. The 4 Bits of You:
There are 4 bits of you – 4!! Yet most of us act as if there are only 2 bits – the mind and the body. This is why we try and ‘think’ our way through life …
thinking, thinking, thinking, thinking, thinking, thinking.
2. The Mind Heart Balance
Let’s take a look at your heart – the feeling center, The place where your wisdom and sense of self worth lies, because here’s where the benefits of silence /down time comes in ..
To access the wisdom in our hearts we need a little space and quiet time … a little ‘Lunch Under the Trees’ time.
Silence, allows us to tap into the greatest reservoir of wisdom there is.
And once you’ve accessed your heart then you cycle down into our ‘will to do’.
Silence and ‘Doing Nothing’ allows you to move freely up and down the spiral of change. Using your mind for what it’s good at, and your heart for what it’s good at.
We find our wisdom and sense of motivation in the spaces of our lives.
Increase your productivity!
Once you tap into your sense of wisdom and activate your ‘will to do’ you become incredibly motivated no longer do you have to TRY and make a change in your life, but you can’t help to make a change!
It’s freaking amazing.
If I do say so myself.
Well, why shouldn’t I? I mean I didn’t invent it. I just discovered how to use it a few years ago. And now I know what cool stuff comes from it.
The thing is – we (as in humans) used to have a lot more down time in our lives – you know, when we spent our days foraging for berries and swimming in rivers. Now it’s a case of being more intentional.
But what I love is that it we don’thave to become technology hermits or adopt long arduous eccentric practices – you CAN add a little ‘doing nothing’ to your day relatively easy and feel the benefits.
BIG IDEA FOR THE WEEK
Have you ever noticed how super productive people often do their productive work ‘offline’ – i.e. they turn off their internet connection while they’re working on whatever it is they work on. (I inadvertently tried it last week due to a dicky connection.) Try it and you’ll see what I mean!
Go well,
PS: You can read more about this in my book 7 Secrets Your Mind Doesn’t Want You to Know, which you can download for FREE on my website.
