Tag Archive for: time to think

When Tech Fails, Breathe!

Yesterday was a marathon of virtual facilitation for me: two long learning sessions, one in the morning, one in the afternoon.
The first?
Smooth.
Three and a half hours, two screens, headset, camera, notes, breakout groups – all went to plan.
A half-hour break in the middle, time to reset, and then back in.
Job done.
The second session, though, had other ideas.
Fifteen minutes in, everything glitched.
My second screen went dark.
MS Teams collapsed into chaos – slides, chat, 16 participants, all crammed onto one screen.
Grrrrrrr!
The breakout room function refused to cooperate.
I was juggling too much in too small a space, and it was just a mess…
Then I took a breath.
I apologised to the group.
I told them I needed to step out of the whole session and reset.
I closed everything down, rebooted, and then, just like that – things came back online.
The rest of the session?
It went really well, in fact one of the best ever as a strong bond developed with everyone as we discussed challenges that we all face at times.
Have you had one of those moments?
Whether it’s tech, pressure, or just being human, we hit the wall.
And in those moments, the best thing we can do isn’t to scramble, it’s to slow down.
Breathe – own the pause – reset.
Too often we think fast means strong.
That control means composure.
But sometimes, the strongest thing you can do is admit your off track, take a moment, and begin again – deliberately.
In your toughest moments — do you panic, or do you pause?

My Best Thinking

Frequently our minds are at warp speed, with a jumbled clutter of thoughts that seem more disorganised than inspiring.
In those moments it can be difficult to do any thinking at all!
My “best thinking” however, seems to occur when my mind is somewhat relaxed and quiet.
Time seems to slow a little and I can sit quietly and just think.
A quiet spot, with no interruptions is the best place for me.
It’s my place, where I find peace and quiet time to think.

Three Places

I have three favourite places where I do my best thinking.
Firstly, sat in the living room, on the couch, pondering, reflecting, and studying.
Secondly, often I am awakened in the middle of the night when it is dark and quiet. One or two words come to mind, followed by a flow of inspiration. I arise from bed and capture the thoughts that follow in my journal or on a notepad.
Thirdly, in the shower. The warm water seems to increase the flow of dopamine to my brain and physically relaxes my body, which allows my inner thoughts to really shine. There has been a lot of research done on this and it is actually known as the “shower effect”.

Timing

Interestingly, all of my best thinking also happens in the early hours of the morning.
Its in those wee small hours, when I’m not focused on an issue that I’m concerned about, that answers usually always come.
It is the time when my most meaningful ideas arise.
“In the hustle of the marketplace there is money to be made but under the cherry tree there is rest” – Ruskin Bond.
Wherever you go and whenever you take time to think, perhaps the most important thing is to actually slow down and make some time just for thinking.
It is my experience that ideas don’t just happen in certain places, they happen at certain times, too.
When and where do you do your best thinking?

Asking Questions

“What questions do you have for me?”
I asked that question several times yesterday in numerous interview sessions, phrasing it in such a way that I expect to receive some questions. And on nearly every occasion I did.
Have you asked any good questions lately?
Questions can be extremely powerful. They help us to think, feel, see and do things differently.
We all need to learn how to ask great questions….
Some professionals like doctors, lawyers and journalists are taught how to ask great questions as part of their training.
In my own professional career through sales, leadership and coaching, and now as a Mission Leader, I have found it equally important to be able to formulate and ask the right questions.
Questions aid performance, develop relationships, help provide inspiration and direction, they even help to build trust and rapport.
“Management teams aren’t good at asking questions. In business school, we train them to be good at giving answers.” – Clayton Christensen.
It’s time to be a little more curious. Asking questions is an important part of life and learning.
I am constantly asking questions to help others move forward.
“What do you want?”
“What do you need most right now?”
“So what?”
“Why now?”
“How can you be truer to yourself?”
“Can you tell me more?”
What question can you use today to unlock your potential and help you or others to move forward?