We all wish there were more than 24 hours in a day. We have so many ideas, so much to do … but perhaps the most important thing you can do each day is to take two minutes to think and do nothing. Think about the business, think about your staff, think about your next steps.
So many times I hear, “What? I don’t have two minutes, that’s the whole problem!”
A lot of people have never done this and most people don’t know how to even begin. Here’s an exercise to help you build that muscle:
- Put down your phone, your laptop and everything else that’s a distraction.
- Take two minutes for some think time. Just do nothing; close your eyes and sit two minutes in silence.
OK, how was it? How long did it seem? When I do this exercise in workshops, the answer is anywhere from five minutes to an hour. It feels like a lot of time, but if you bake that into your day, it can lead to remarkable results. Even cutting it in half, to one minute, is a giant help.
Why? Because you need to be sharp, you need to be crisp, and you need to be ready to solve problems. To do that, you can’t be running nonstop every second of the day. You’ve got to recharge.
We need some quiet time to just reflect. With practice, you’ll build the muscle memory and know when to incorporate it into your day. Taking a minute (or two) of quiet time to think how you’re going to attack a situation and what you’ll say to this person about that thing will help you in a significant way.
What this minute (or two) does is help us get back into alignment. And when we’re in alignment, we can do amazing things. When we’re in alignment – with an idea, with a project, with a task, with our job – we are able to take action.
And when we’re in alignment, we always, always think big!
THINK BIG!
Jon
