What a difference a week makes. Actually, what a difference some white space makes! Yes, I was able to schedule white space this past week and Wow! much was accomplished during the week. The things accomplished were important priorities for me and I found myself on Friday afternoon looking at my watch amazed at the time remaining in the day. The hurry, hurry, busy, busy mode of the previous week was far behind me.
As mentioned in previous messages, my white space is not just quiet, unfilled time. I do have that on occasion, where I sit quietly and just let my thoughts go. This is something I have to practice as I have a challenging time just being still. There is immense value in it and I continue to work on it.
Many of us are more familiar with white space related to an activity. Perhaps your greatest ideas come in the shower? Yes, that is a brief example, unless your showers are long, of how our mind unwinds when we are occupied with a very menial or habitual task and we can do without really thinking. What is challenging with doing while thinking is you may not have a way to capture those thoughts. Perhaps a scuba writing slate in the shower?
Another example of white space is listening to or participating in some type of educational exercise. At a recent seminar, the subject matter and speaker triggered a grand idea that likely would not have crossed my mind. The same happened in a webinar I participated in last week.
The message here is to have variety in your white space. It can look like this:
- Quiet time as you reflect in an environment outside the office.
- Reflection as you perform a menial or habitual task.
- Stimulating environments that expose you to new or expanded ideas.
Where or when do you get your best ideas? Share by commenting below or e-mail me at barbara@acceluspartners.com.