Great ideas don’t schedule meetings first. Check the timestamp wherever you add your quick ideas… oh look, that big one was at 2am.
True breakthroughs rarely align neatly with a 9-to-5 schedule or appear on demand during designated “productive” time. These flashes of insight strike in the moments between meetings, in the spaces we often dismiss as “downtime”:
– During your commute, when traffic patterns suddenly mirror the solution to your team’s workflow challenges
– At your child’s game, where watching a failed play sparks an insight about resilience and pivoting in your latest project
– In the quiet of meal prep, where the art of balancing flavors reflects the delicate equilibrium your organization needs
When my calendar gets crazy, I have to remind myself to STOP.
I catch myself missing creative opportunities in the rush to be ‘always on’. And when I find myself reaching for my phone in a down moment, I’m working to break the habit and sit quietly. Because when I think about it – I have to wonder what breakthrough ideas have slipped away while I scrolled through the phone or filled every silence with music or “noise”?
Ask yourself: When was the last time you let your mind truly wander without an agenda?
Here’s a Jen-ism Challenge for this week:
– – > Schedule three 15-minute periods of intentional “nothing”.
Start small, but start somewhere. Companies like LinkedIn understand this – their monthly ‘InDay’ gives employees dedicated time for innovation and inspiration. Because the most innovative companies aren’t just measuring hours logged – they’re creating space for inspiration to strike. Are you?”
