The POWer of Letting Your Mind Wander

Sometimes we are so focused on being productive that we don’t allow our brain to clear and wander and get creative. This is an issue because some of our best ideas and solutions to problems are waiting in the creative space that exists when we are doing nothing or better yet, doing something mindless. That is the intention with the shape and space in the planner where you can shade in already existing letters, write your own letters, quotes, pictures, shapes, etc. By doing something mindless, we allow our brain to drift and work on creating, solving and revealing the gems of creativity sitting in the background that we cannot uncover when we are so constantly ‘busy’. I had a manager once who hated when a member of the team said they were ‘busy’. Productive and contribution are where we want to exist. Sometimes to optimize productivity, we have to clear space and get out of the way and let our powerful brains work and reveal. That quiet, mindless time can seem wasteful to the highly productive individual, but it is productive and can greatly increase our productivity in ways that we can never do by just ‘trying harder’.

One of my favorite ways to do this is simply shading in the letters and boxes on the page. It can be for 30 seconds or 5 minutes and is a great way to help someone who is not so great at ‘sitting in a meeting’ relax and focus and listen. I like to use the turquoise colour that matches the logo, but some like to mix up the colours and sort of ‘colour code’ different pieces or just use lots of colour to make it beautiful. Whatever works for you.

Another favorite of mine is to write in a quote that has jumped out at me that week or a quote from the past that I want to remember. I have included quotes for you on some pages and, on other pages, I have left space for you to write in your own. When something inspires you or reminds you of an intention that matters to you, write it in. I will sometimes write it in a space on a week or two down the road so that I will be reminded.

A quote that stood out to me recently from the ‘Mind Valley’ podcast was ‘Tell yourself a better lie.’ We, as humans, seem to be pretty good at beating ourselves up and focusing on our mistakes and ignoring our successes. We often exaggerate our flaws, mistakes and ‘not-haves’. Some days I can quickly recognize it and shift to a more real perspective, but some days my thoughts exaggerate the downsides, the flaws and the ‘not haves’. I found this quote a great reminder to check myself on how actually bad something is and help me shift back to reality of how much there is on the side of ‘wonderful’.

This is a perfect example of how that blank space in the planner allows for what inspires us just as some blank space for our brains to get quiet can also inspire us. Use the space however you like or leave it blank. Whatever works for you to feel inspired, nurtured, motivated, peaceful and/or fired up.

So much joy and productivity to you all!!