I had a couple of problems to solve last week.
Nothing significant in the scale of life: just an issue with a lecture course, and also an article I’m writing about my new book, Compelling Communication.
So, I did what I often do when I need to think…
I took myself for a good walk.
And it was very pleasant, as you can see.
As I set off, my phone pinged with a message, and then an email.
Neither needed answering immediately, but I noticed something interesting:
I was struggling to let my mind wander free on the two problems I wanted to resolve.
The email, and the message, kept interfering.
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So, after almost an hour of them nagging away at me, I did something I very rarely do:
I sat down, took my phone out, and answered the questions the senders had posed.
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I usually guard my me time jealously, and resist any interactions with my phone.
But on this occasion I just sensed I had no choice if I wanted to make any progress with the two original issues I had in mind.
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Then I set off walking again, but this time with one small, but highly significant difference.
- I turned my phone to silent.
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I’m always a little twitchy about this, because I sometimes get urgent calls.
But, I reassured myself…
I could always check my phone every 30 minutes or so, to make sure I wasn’t missing anything time critical.
Having made that deal with myself, I continued my walk…
And this time, found myself enjoying it far more.
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I was living in the moment, delighting in the blue skies, the rustle of breeze through the trees, the sound of birdsong, the grass underfoot.
And with that, my mind began to roam, and, as if by magic…
Quickly came upon the solutions to the two problems I had originally set out with.
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So, if you need space to be creative, to resolve issues, to come up with ideas…
Not to mention enjoy the wonders of life...
Nothing more remains to be said!
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By the way, (since you asked - yes, you did!) Compelling Communication will be published in the next few weeks.
You can find out more about the book, and order a copy (go on, you know you want to!) here.
