Where will ideas come from?
It’s not just you - creatives and accountants alike - we often come up with our best ideas when we are in the shower. Or another context/environment that provides us with pure uninterrupted time to ourselves. Time where we can’t be (or rarely would be) interrupted and can’t do anything other than what we’re trying to do (be in the moment). The shower (once the kids are down). A walk. A quiet coffee away from your usual place without a phone/tv/ipad/laptop/iwatch/fitbit.
Anyone actually interested in the science of why - check this post ‘why we have our best ideas in the shower: the science of creativity - Buffer’.
We constantly and by choice surround ourselves with things and environments that interrupt us. Ringtones, iScreens. Google Home. Email. To-do lists. In many cases the nature of our profession/work means we are now required to be connected, checking and off silent. Hourly rates, budgets & billables… also, play a huge role in the ability to have ‘downtime’.
If we need that uninterrupted time to think creatively and allow our ideas to come out of ‘left field’ (or whatever direction they’re hiding), but when we don’t get it - where will our ideas come from? If we are constantly competing with interruptions, decision making and having to account for our time, productivity, progress… and we are unable to give ourselves time to stop and think, what happens?
Irony is, as I thought about this I was wishing there was a waterproof phone with a voice memo app that I could ask to capture my ideas in the shower - preferably so I didn’t have to speak, but at minimum this would need to be one that wouldn’t be affected by the sound of the water and acoustics of my bathroom.
As parents and workers we’re often reminded about the importance of breaks (and standing up for those with fitbit’s) - but what does a ‘break’ actually mean? Do you need to be broken before you give yourself (or your team members) one?
As individual humans somewhat in control of our own choices - we’re the only ones who can choose to prioritise down time, unplugged time and creative thinking. Otherwise, cutting and pasting will soon enough be automated (or already is).
THE TAKEAWAY
When was the last time you disengaged? What’s your plan to capture ideas when they come about without disrupting your ability to disengage? (Yes, I know Aquanotes now exist - but that defeats the point..)
More thinking:
After considering this topic for some time, I stumbled across a podcast called Slow your Home (about slow living) and interview with another show host Jocelyn Glei (Hurry Slowly). Her focus is on the intersection of tech & entrepreneurial-ism. It’s an interesting conversation for anyone wondering how ‘hustlers’ manage to allow themselves time for creative thinking.