Unplug, Clear Out, Kick In
by edavis on 29/10/09 at 1:23 am
It’s bad. Every day seems the same. I’m at the point now that I don’t even know what day of the week it is. It’s October, right? What happened to September? 2009?
Let’s face it. I’ve been working non-stop for a year now. And I mean non-stop. Vacation? I accumulate vacation days, but nothing more. Holidays? I’ve heard about those. Weekends? Urban legend like Bigfoot or the Cubbies playing baseball in October. Evenings? You’re kidding, right?
Seriously, how can you be effective when you have tunnel vision and can’t see larger than that?
In looking at my past successes– and I mean the big ones where I came up with that big idea–I ask myself what is inhibiting it now. And it comes down to one constant theme. I NEVER came up with that idea while at the office.
Don’t get me wrong. I use the office and the team to discuss the idea, refine it, enhance it, and then eventually capitalize on it. But the truly big ‘Wow’ moments came while away from the office.
Why? I could probably get scientific, but my guess is that those ideas came when I had ‘freedom to breathe’. I was unplugged — no computer, no e-mails, no phone calls. Just clarity to think.
But rather than bitch more, what can I do to get this ‘big picture’ thinking back? My guesses are:
- Leave the office. Seriously. Enough said.
- Move around. I’m not talking about becoming a gypsy and moving every few days. But I’m talking about leaving the office, getting out of the house, exploring the city, experiencing something new. And you do it for you, not work.
- People watch. In my opinion, the best, most entertaining ‘invention’ ever.
- Ask questions. No one sees the same things the same way. Get different perspectives. Expand your horizons. Ask that person why in God’s name she would dress her dog in a Halloween costume. It’s entertaining for a second, but seriously?! Ask her and don’t be surprised that you may learn something new.
- Say what the F#ck. Simplicity is often the best remedy.
At the end of the day, you have to find what works best for you. For me, 16 hour days are not it. Less is more.
