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Silence is golden ๐ฏ Wednesday Win
Published about 2 months agoย โขย 3 min read
No matter how hard you hustle, you can't make sustained progress without taking time for deeper thinking. Reflection and planning help you both aim at the right targets and keep pursuing them when the inevitable roadblocks and disruptions occur.
What does it take to keep it going? Let's explore:
1. Reflection is essential
Reflections can be structured and outcome-oriented like you might do for annual or quarterly review and planning. Or it can mean taking 15 minutes to walk around the parking lot and clear your head for some fresh idea brainstorming.
What matters is that you make these activities part of your regular routine and don't neglect the need for recharge and small adjustments that are always needed for sustained progress.
Big or small, what matters is making mental time for review and planning
All action may generate a lot of output, but without reflection, you don't know whether you are making meaningful progress
Planning is more valuable than the plans that result
Reflection doesn't mean criticism: this isn't the time to beat yourself up for missed items
2. Silence is the secret
It has never been more difficult to disconnect and provide true space for quiet reflection than today. We are surrounded by temptations for distraction beginning first with our phones.
Our brains crave the distraction especially when the alternative might include tackling tough questions and problems without obvious solutions.
Something magical happens though when we allow ourselves space free from voices, music, videos, and more. We don't require absolute silence, but freedom from distracting content allows us to fully engage our conscious and unconscious brain for an extended period.
Silence breeds more ideas, better ideas, more complete ideas. And ultimately, it allows for deeper reflection and self-understanding.
Actively cultivate opportunities for silence
Build up the capability to work without distractions
Block out time and actively seek spaces where you can be alone with your thoughts
3. Where to find it and how to use it
If it's important to take time to review and work in silence, how can you find that consistently? Schedule time, find places, and be opportunistic. When it's a priority, it's easier to find blocks of time and to use them productively when they're available.
Build good habits over time. A positive reflection strategy will also provide benefits beyond pure productivity like reducing stress, increasing new idea generation, and help with understanding of past events.
Schedule time for reflection including frequent short sessions and periodic longer windows for monthly or quarterly reviews
Try early or late at home, private spaces in the office, or third places like libraries or outdoor spaces
Have access to note taking to capture ideas, but don't drift into distraction with social media or other content
The key is to break out of the normal hustle of your work and life and have some time for deeper thought
4. My 10x unlock
I stumbled into my primary vehicle for reflection and new idea generation. I started taking frequent, early morning walks. I live in a busy neighborhood and often travel to busy cities. But by getting up and out early, often starting before sunrise, I get access to silence (with a little nature mixed in), some physical activity, and lots of fresh ideas.
I love walking for these sessions because it seems to require just enough of my conscious thought to navigate where I'm headed and to keep from walking into traffic, but not so much that I'm limited in my ability to think through complex plans and strategies.
I always carry my phone, but only use it to capture my thoughts and not ever as a consumption tool while I'm moving around. I'm simply amazed at how much of my work gets identified, outlined, and thought through while walking step by step through my neighborhood early each day. Try it.
Try activities requiring a small bit of attention like walking, biking, or driving
Be ready to capture ideas as they come up, but prevent against slipping into distraction
Walking and writing are a powerhouse combination for building your mental reflection muscles
Find a time that works for you and stick to it
A typical sight that greets me on my morning walk.
Action Summary
Quiet time for reflection is an essential component of long-term success. Learn to embrace silence and leave room for your mind to wander and assemble more complicated ideas into actionable plans.
Plan for dedicated reflection time to drive major initiatives and pursue regular windows for day to day deep thinking.
Create space for deeper thinking
Embrace silence
Be opportunistic and consistent
When in doubt, try taking a walk
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What do you think? Reply to this email and let me know.
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To your success,
Christopher
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