Recently, when addressing a group of business owners, I asked them to share their greatest business challenges.
Not surprisingly, the responses were immediate and ranged from issues of marketing and time management, to staffing and finances.
We had a short discussion and soon realised that what was needed was more time spent confronting these issues, and a greater and more concerted focus on strategy and ideas generation.
It’s clear to me that if our businesses are not encouraging and acting on ideas, then we cannot expect to move forwards.
So, when was the last time you put priority on creating time and space purely for the generation of ideas?
It can be very challenging to advance and grow at the best of times, and yet here we are not fully respecting our own talents and those within our team, to create solutions and avoid challenges.
I asked the group to tell me what they are generally up to when they have their best ideas.
These responses surprised me:
- “When riding my motorbike”
- “In the bath”
- “When I’m on holiday”
- “When reading fiction”
- “While cycling”
- “When I’m swimming”
- “When I’m painting”
- “When I’m deeply relaxed”
- “When I’m playing with my children”
- “At the Opera or a classical music concert”
- “In the shower”
- “When I’m out walking”
What’s interesting here is that not one person said their ideas came to them while they were working … sitting at their desk staring at a monitor.
If we are to think creatively about our work and find solutions for our current problems, we must prioritise time away from our desks.
This is what the Dalai Lama was alluding to when he commented that when he has a heavy workload, he meditates even longer than usual. Imagine that! You’re so busy that you actually walk away from your work to gain clarity.
Spending an hour a day, or even an hour every other day, doing something that releases your creative juices will be far better for you and your business than an hour stressing out over an “action list” or project plan.
I’m off for a walk now with my dictaphone in hand. How will you spend your hour?
