Do you ever feel like you don’t have time to think? I met a friend for lunch a while ago, and we started the conversation with being “busy”. Busy with work, travel, never ending projects, family, etc. Not surprisingly anymore when I meet with most people, the answer to my first question of “how are you?” is almost always “busy”.
On this particular day, we got into a deeper conversation about “busy”, and the one comment that stuck with me from that conversation was “I don’t have time to think.”
I will never forget those words because while we are always thinking as we go through our day solving the immediate tasks at hand, we really aren’t always being intentional about thinking in ways that might enhance our lives. We go through our days focused on the immediacy of the events that are occurring and solving the tasks at hand. While I know that the pandemic has slowed us down a bit, many of us seem to have adapted to the new normal and are back on the busy streak.
What did my good friend mean by “I don’t have time to think”? In this context, “time” is the time that you have to reflect on what is actually happening in your life. It is taking that 10,000-foot view of what the heck am I doing here!? I know I’ve had those moments of uncertainty!
Why do we need time to “think” in that way? It is so easy to get sucked into the small details of life to the point where you begin to wonder to yourself, “what is the point of all of this?”
Taking some time to reflect and center yourself is critical to staying connected to your inner self, your intuition.
Why is this important?
Your intuition carries you through life helping you discern what is important and what’s not important based on your values and those things that matter most to you. Strengthening our intuition allows us to make decisions quicker and with more confidence. It helps us discern when things are not going in the right direction, giving us guidance when we need to readjust course and make small changes in our lives. Many times, we don’t realize that these small changes have a longer term impact.
Making it a habit to “take time to think” is a useful exercise in sharpening our intuition and, ultimately, could actually save us time by allowing us to become more confident and intentional about our days….saving time and being less “busy” is surely a goal for me!
Solve for Peace Tip:
Dedicating some time to “think” will help you clear your mind and gain insights into creative ways to solve challenges, reach your goals, and stay connected to your intuition.
Solve for Peace Activity:
- Make it a habit of incorporating time to “think” into your schedule. Whether it’s a 15-20 minute daily walk or a couple hours (taken all together) weekly.
- Go outside of your everyday environment and use this time to clear your mind. Try not to think of any immediate tasks at hand, but rather, focus on your surroundings to give yourself a mental break.
- Ideally, go outside, but if you must be inside, try to find a place outside of your normal environment, like a different corner of your home, to enjoy a different perspective.
Whenever I travel to a different place, I love the feeling of being somewhere new and different. My creative juices always flow when I am in a different environment. Create that different environment for yourself. Your brain will appreciate it, your intuition will sharpen, and your creative juices will start to flow!
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