I recently suggested to a close, top leader I work with, “What if we try to take one day per week to schedule no meetings and dedicate that day to creating, thinking, and strategizing?” As she reflected on the idea, she said, “We can try that, but when I previously did something similar, I tended to spend the day catching up on emails and projects and neglected thinking-time to create and lead change.”
I know from my own life that the most incredible accomplishments, audacious ideas, and boldest moves I have championed came from such time of deep thought and creativity. What my friend illustrated in her response, which I fully relate to, is an issue all leaders share. The need to stop the chaos and calm our drive in order to think, reflect, journal, analyze, and create is sorely needed and most difficult to accomplish. Leaders who figure out how to carve out such time on a regular basis will undoubtedly outpace the rest.
I want to share another approach to creating time for deeper thinking and strategizing. Should you prefer to avoid blocking time that may end up eaten away by the urgent and mundane, try this method, alternating the to-do versus the to-think work.
You can execute this alternating work in one of two ways. Either accomplish two items on your to-do list, then tackle one thinking problem. (Of course, you can play with the ratio. For example, five to-do items to one thinking problem.) Another way of doing this is to spend 10 or 15 minutes on the to-do list followed by 15 minutes on the to-think list.
To try this, you have to separate your to-do and to-think lists. On the to-think list, record all of the unsolved challenges you have. On the to-do list, capture all the tasks that need execution.
On a personal note, today is my birthday. I turn 48! It is also the birthday of our twins, Emmy and Luke. They turn two today. Yes, our twins were born on my birthday—a big blessing for Joanne and I. I thank the Lord for another year.
How can I support you more as a Christian leader and entrepreneur?
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