Schedule Thinking Time
In part 2 of How to Become a Make-It-Happen Person, I mention the importance of having a detailed schedule. If you have that in place, you can then implement one of the most powerful concepts I’ve ever experienced in my life: Scheduling thinking time.
I mention this in part 3 of How to Become a Make-It-Happen Person, but I have since decided that because it’s such a powerful idea, it needs it’s own dedicated entry.
After a quick Google search, I’ve noticed that most people only apply a schedule to business, and those who have discovered the power behind scheduling thinking time only spend time thinking about business related stuff. But this idea doesn’t only apply to business.
When it comes to relationships and marriage I’ve really done my best to prepare myself as best as one can without actually living it.
I’ve read stacks of books, listened to lots of programs and seminars, and asked plenty of questions to people who have extraordinary marriages about succeeding in that area of life, but I know, I KNOW! that, eventually, whether the honeymoon lasts a year or ten years, eventually people start taking their spouses for granted.
I see it absolutely EVERYWHERE. I’ve seen two marriages, in my entire life of observing this issue closely, where I could say, “I want this for myself! After 40 years they’re still in love”, and those two examples are all I need to know it’s possible.
One of the things I decided very early on in my life was that I would not live an average life, and I would not, under any circumstances let my marriage or my relationship with my children slide into mediocrity.
That rock-solid decision and drive would have helped me succeed and get much further than the average man, but I’ve realised that this concept of scheduling thinking time would carry me the rest of the way should my decision and my drive ever weaken over the years.
The reason is that, I will always have a schedule, and if I schedule thinking time, I will have a regular scheduled slot where I evaluate where my family life is at.
If something isn’t purposefully driven forward it will always slip backward. With that in mind, I can take appropriate actions based on my realisations during thinking time.
Thinking time will not only allow you to take appropriate preventative measures in terms of your relationships, but more importantly, it enables you to keep your relationships and your life at a place where it’s living on the leading edge instead of always on the back foot.
Thinking time is NOT passive!
The bottom line of scheduling thinking time is this: Most of us are very busy. We don’t have time for everything. And when we have some time off we spend it listening to the radio or television, or doing something, anything, other than sitting still and thinking. This has the effect of just carrying you along in life as a passenger.
What radio and TV does is it leads your thoughts. You are totally passive. Thinking time is an active, directed activity. With TV, You don’t have to think for yourself since the images, sounds and ideas are being brought to you. It doesn’t take any effort and it’s usually not at all productive.
I love watching something good on TV, especially documentaries about the first and second world war (though I don’t ever listen to the radio, it’s like chewing bubblegum, it gives you something to do but doesn’t benefit you at all), so I’m not knocking TV. I’m just suggesting that watching TV does not qualify as thinking time.
I’m also not suggesting you take your precious days off to sit thinking; I’m suggesting you schedule it as a business activity during business hours, since thinking time is a thorough bred, tax deductible, life and business advancing, highly productive activity.
Spending time just thinking and strategising allows us to reflect on what’s important in life. It has a way of setting our priorities in order.
Once our priorities are in order, we are then in a place where we know what to schedule for tomorrow. For example, during your thinking time, you realise you are not spending enough time with your kids. You can then schedule that time with your kids, and prevent life carrying you along as a passenger and ending you in a place where one day you wake up when it’s too late.
PLEASE NOTE:
It’s important to note at this point that thinking time is not time off. You can have a glass of wine and put your feet up, but you don’t just allow your thoughts to go in any direction. You purposefully ask yourself questions and evaluate your life. You force yourself to come up with answers to problems and you actively schedule the actions you need to take to make the changes you want in your life.
Scheduling thinking time allows you to design a great future, and scheduling action goals is the start of the process of carving out that design. It guides you on a road of living life on purpose.
Live a life that you design instead of living life by default. Schedule thinking time!
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