Idle time is a key ingredient to becoming more creative in your personal and professional life, says R. Keith Sawyer, associate professor of education and of psychology at Washington University in St. Louis.
The article goes on to say that most people are so busy, they don’t have the idle time necessary for this creative process to take place.
It is important to note that idle time does not mean you aren’t doing “something.” It means time that you are free to think about other things and perhaps daydream a bit.
For me, exercise is my idle time. Sports psychologists will tell you that you should concentrate on your form and your breathing. They may add that you should visualize yourself winning the race, or running like a world champion (or swimming or cycling or whatever your activity happens to be). I do some of that while I exercise, but my exercise time is also just that. It’s “my” time. It’s one of the few times during the day when I’m doing something for me with few distractions. That is the time when I think about work and family issues that we need to resolve or move ahead on. It’s the time when I can think about new ways to reach out to our alumni, to fundraise for the various projects/programs/departments in the college, and to further my career.
Having made exercise a daily part of my routine by incorporating an endurance athletics lifestyle over the past four years, I admit that many of my “Eureka” moments have come during a long run or long bike ride on an early Saturday or Sunday morning. I’m sure the extra oxygen and increased blood flow help, too. (smile)
When is your idle time? It’s up to you to make it.
http://futurity.org/society-culture/travel-delay-time-for-an-aha-moment/
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