I met recently with Threesa Boyd of South Georgia Business + Culture Magazine. We were talking about her editorial calendar for the magazine and the possibility of me penning an article on leadership for an upcoming issue. I suggested that she consider an article on metacognition. “I remember you talking about that at the summit!” she exclaimed. She had attended my Innovation Summit for the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce earlier this year and had heard me talk about metacognition—thinking about how we think.
She went on to say that following my talk, she had realized that she was not carving out specific time to think in her weekly activities. So she started doing so. In her case, this meant going out on her porch with no cell phone or computer and just sitting with a notepad and enjoying nature. After allowing her mind to settle, she began to really think about her vision for the magazine, and as she wrote, her notes further galvanized her thinking about the magazine’s future. It would not be a clone of Southern Living, but a business journal focused on the unique issues of South Georgia. (It’s a great magazine; check it out here).
It was a perfect example of the point I had made at the summit. We all talk about innovation and thinking differently and planning for tomorrow’s customer, but we don’t allocate time in our schedules to engage in the thinking necessary to unleash true creativity. And it is creativity that is the start of innovation. We wander through our day waiting for the flash of inspiration to come, and while it could certainly happen that way, it is more likely to come with dedicating the time to allow it to occur.
Want to encourage creativity and innovation? It’s simple: Plan time to think. Put it on your calendar. Set aside 11 to noon on Tuesday, then spend all that hour thinking. It will take 10 to 15 minutes to calm your mind, but ideas will come. Make sure you have something to capture your ideas on, as long as it’s not your computer or cell phone; otherwise you will check your texts or email and ruin the whole hour. Just use paper and pen. If you get an idea right away, keep thinking about it; chances are, if you keep thinking, you will make it better. Don’t self-edit: capture anything and everything you think of. The more you plan time to think and consistently use all of that time, the more you will grow your ability to gain great insights from your thinktime.
Try this thinking technique, then write me and let me know how it works for you.