We need downtime...
In our day-to-day lives, we are bombarded with information, emails, phone calls, social media, marketing… all competing for our attention… and let's face it, our brains don’t have enough room for it all. Then, add to that, others who need something from us and our own internal list of things that need doing. It is never ending.
Societally, we are driven to be productive ALL the time and it is NOT good for us!
In the current culture, downtime is hard to come by naturally and therefore needs to be more intentional and thought out. Pro tip: Put your phone on do-not-disturb (DND) and then put it in another room. It is amazing what you can think of and process when you are free from the biggest attention hog of all time.
Here’s what the experts say in Scientific American about WHY downtime …
“Why giving our brains a break now and then is so important has become increasingly clear in a diverse collection of new studies investigating: the habits of office workers and the daily routines of extraordinary musicians and athletes; the benefits of vacation, meditation and time spent in parks, gardens and other peaceful outdoor spaces; and how napping, unwinding while awake and perhaps the mere act of blinking can sharpen the mind.”
“Downtime replenishes the brain’s stores of attention and motivation, encourages productivity and creativity, and is essential to both achieve our highest levels of performance and simply form stable memories in everyday life. A wandering mind unsticks us in time so that we can learn from the past and plan for the future. Moments of respite may even be necessary to keep one’s moral compass in working order and maintain a sense of self.”
Favorite quote from the article...
"The space and quiet that idleness provides is a necessary condition for standing back from life and seeing it whole, for making unexpected connections and waiting for the wild summer lightning strikes of inspiration—it is, paradoxically, necessary to getting any work done."
~Tim Kreider, The New York Times.
Read the Full Scientific American Article HERE.
Here's a challenge... plan some unstructured downtime and reap the benefits!
