It was 2010 when a collaboration partner introduced me to Snowden McFall a 29 year entrepreneur, professional speaker and author of 5 books, including Fired Up!, and Stress Express! She’s definitely an extrovert and a fabulously motivating person. When you just read her emails or hear her speak, you’ll know what this means.
This is one of her recent newsletter articles. Whether you want to Boo a noisy brain, or just invite in creativity this guest post is loaded with introvert, even extrovert wisdom.
6 Ways to #Quiet the Brain and Boost #Creativity
If you’re like most busy professionals, you have very little time for yourself. Deadlines, meetings, reports, quotas, metrics, family, life obligations all take a toll on us. Your brain is constantly going. You have “cerebral congestion” or “cognitive overload.”
A study by LexisNexis of 1,700 white collar workers in the U.S., China, South Africa, the U.K. and Australia showed employees spend more than half their workdays receiving and managing data rather than using it to do their jobs; 50% confessed that they were reaching a breaking point.
For most people, there is very little quiet time in your life, voids of space where you can just relax, think and innovate. And that’s a mistake you can’t afford to make.
Most of our best ideas come from quiet time. Hundreds of great concepts that later became life-improving products originated in the shower.
Several companies now encourage employees to take Fridays to work on whatever project they wish- whether it’s part of their job description or not. Some of these companies’ best innovations resulted. But if there’s no time, no quiet space, no daydreaming, there’s very little room for innovation.
How Can You Get More Quiet Time?
- cut down on meetings in your organization. Ask- could this be accomplished in an email or memo? If you’re in charge, make a guideline that all meetings get done in 15 minutes or less. Tell people in advance to laser their thoughts.
- exercise-And instead of watching TV, talking on the phone or reading emails while you’re doing it, just be quiet. Play soothing environmental music. Or get outside. Let your brain wander while you are in nature.
- sleep– Everyone needs at least 7 hours. Sleep is critical to your overall health, well-being and memory. In true restful sleep, your brain synthesizes through various levels of consciousness and replenishes itself. The quiet of sleep is absolutely necessary for sanity, not to mention performance and achievement.
- meditate. Even if it is only for 10 minutes a day, taking the time to be quiet and go inside, listen, and breathe deeply can give the brain a vital rest.
- take your vacation time. In 2013, most Americans left 4 vacation days unused. Don’t take your laptop or respond to emails on vacation. Be truly off the grid and come back refreshed and revitalized.
- get outside in nature. The new field of ecopsychology demonstrates that spending time in nature relaxes the brain, restores the body and spirit.
[Tweet “Your brain has great wisdom and gifts to share with you. It can only do so when it can recharge. Give it that time. “]
Copyright 2014 Snowden McFall, professional speaker and 5 time author. If you like her message, you’ll find more at www.firedupnow.com
Lovely post. I ust woke up from a 1hr nap to read this post. My flight this morning was cancelled and postponed by a day and I found myself with an empty day and I decided to just be free and not do anything at all. I took a walk along Lake Victoria listening to the birds and enjoying the greenery. I believe in this post and I am implementing.
Welli, sounds like it fit in perfectly and you being in the flow of the happenings is even more perfect. Let us know how things work. Snowden know her stuff!
Great post, Pat. Now if we’d all just take your advice and DO all these things. I thought i would work less once i left the corporate environment, but now that I’m doing my own thing, I’m not sure if that has ended up being true. I think the Europeans have the right idea about vacation. Five weeks sounds awesome. But here we are in the US not even taking the little amount that we have earned. I know i personally would have a boost in energy and creativity if i could just carve out some quiet/down time. 🙂
Thanks Susan. Somewhere along in the coaching I’ve received, someone suggested, the reason we don’t do what we say we want to do, we have NOT made a decision to do it. I’m not sure if it’s helpful although I was thinking about you getting that quiet/down time?
Hi Patricia! I am happy to have read your post about quiet time. It is something that I rarely have nowadays. I work a 2am-11am job, and when I get home, I need to rush to make lunch, do the laundry, clean the house. By the time I am done, I need to make dinner. All these activities have made me lose my creative side and it gives me a difficult time coming up with a good blog post. My body is screaming for rest and my brain is not coming up with any ideas for an article. I will take your advice and make it a point to give myself some quiet time. Thanks for sharing!
Sounds like it was timely for you Eileen. Don’t you love it when that happens? I find it means it’s the start of being in the flow with whatever is the challenge. Thanks.
I am beginning to get better about doing these things. I still have some distance to go, but taking the first step is a good start. I can feel the difference between when I do these things and when I do not.
Congrats Cheryl! And you’ve said 2 key things here: take the first step and feeling the difference. For sure that’s as you say, getting better about these things!
I just heard a program on NPR that talked about how doing something scary, something that you are afraid of, can calm your mind. Don’t know that it would be worth that but your suggestions are excellent.
That’s a new one Beth! But it kind of makes sense. BOOOO! Yes, you get the beegeegees scared out of you and you are left with calm. Will have to ask Snowden what she has heard about this. Thanks.
Oh, how we need our down time. Today is Saturday and I worked all day on my blog, a client’s blog, and so forth. Why didn’t I take the day off? Because during the week I made time to go to the theater, meet with out-of-town guests, and play bridge. All enjoyable activities. But now I work. The thing is even the things you enjoy keep you from spending down time to just think and rejuvenate your mind and body.
Jeannette we all need our down time these days. With technology and all the benefits it brings, on balance it keeps us off balance with all the more it brings at us. What this sounds like in your plan is a shuffling around of work and then play. So good for you!
Agree completely about the need to take quiet time to boost creativity. Personally get the best ideas when I’m falling asleep or wake up. My brain is relaxed and my subconsious comes up with solutions to important issues.
Catarina you always have the best ideas! Thanks for sharing your secret with us and letting us know, it’s right in line with what Snowden shares with us.
This is perfect Pat – especially on a Monday when everyone goes into major A mode. I’m terrible at trying to do three things at once and it really does work against you.. I’ve been reading a lot recently about how exercise boosts creativity, so it’s good to read it here too. V. enjoyable post
That’s true about Mondays AK. Multitasking has been researched to be – ineffective over focus and doing one thing at a time. I’m working on the sleep factor but I do have the exercise that I am committed to.
I tend to not get enough sleep at times, nor do I meditate. I’ve been reading a lot about mindfulness and am inching my way toward starting meditation. I’ve never been bashful about taking vacations… how else would a person stay sane? The American mindset toward time off floors me at time. Europeans do much better in that regard. Once I made jogging a regular thing, I can’t live without it… too back I can’t avoid tortilla chips 🙂 Finally… nature rules. I learned that the three summers I worked in Yellowstone.
I’m with you Jeri. I exercise regularly. Sometimes people chuckle when I tell them, “it’s my number one favorite and free thing to do.” I meditate regularly for about 10 to 15 minutes a day. My next step is to get to about 30 minutes, one minute at a time. When we were traveling last week I took along a book I checked out at the library, “One Minute Mindfulness.” It has about 50 little ways you can do, in a minute. I found I do many of these having already been meditating for a few years now. Thanks!
Hi Patricia,
Awesome post which contain very useful is about to 6 Ways to #Quiet the Brain and Boost #Creativity. Very informative and interesting article. I liked it. And I completely agree with you.
Thanks for sharing views. Have a great week ahead.
Glad you like it Mohit. If you’re putting even just one into practice, then you know that Snowden’s ideas are most useful Thanks.
Great post Patricia! I also did a post not long ago about creativity being more robust during quiet times. We should allow ourselves the time to daydream. I like to meditate also, but often I find the day is long over and I haven’t made the time. But I love getting out in nature or even watching the sunrise from my balcony and letting my mind “rest”..for it’s during the restful times I find the most inspiration:)
I get how if you don’t schedule the time for meditation, it ain’t happening Jacqueline! I went for years like that. Then I found Headspace and I started to schedule it – in the morning – directly after my gratitude journal. I almost always get at least 5 minutes in! Thanks!