The Value of Nothing
When children are born prematurely, they are placed in incubators until ready for the world.
When fields stop producing, farmers let them lay fallow -- until the soil's nutrients are restored.
When a baseball player is in a slump, he's given a day off to get his game together.
It's the same with innovators -- or should be. They, too, need to incubate. They, too, need to lay fallow. They, too, need an occasional day off -- especially if the results they're looking for aren't showing up.
You already know this. That's why sometimes you choose to "sleep on it" before making a decision.
Pausing isn't necessarily procrastinating. Done well, it's an act of renewal -- a chance for you to relax and let your subconscious shine -- a natural phenomenon that's all-too-rare these days -- especially in organizations where everyone is being driven to produce, produce, produce.
Face it. Sometimes the best thing to do is nothing.
THE TECHNIQUE
1. The next time you are working hard, but getting no results -- notice it.
2. Take a break.
3. Breathe.
4. If you feel the urge to produce, let the urge pass.
5. During this time, notice the ideas that come to you -- and write them down.
Excerpted from Awake at the Wheel.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at September 9, 2010 10:24 PM
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