Turning procrastination into breakthrough incubation.
We’ve all experienced times of cramming for a test, facing a tight deadline, or being under pressure to solve a time sensitive problem. Why did we get there? Did we procrastinate up until the final hour, or are we on the brink of brilliance by delaying until our subconscious cooks up a novel and inspired outcome?
Good planners make sure all tasks are scheduled and keep everyone focused to execute on track. When we get stuck or hit an unexpected challenge, is it better to push forward or take a break? Learning to be good innovators and strategists means flipping time from being a constraint to being a resource.
Utilize time as a resource, focusing our attention to incubate insights.
As a resource, time can either be wasted with procrastination or harnessed through incubation. Sometimes the most inspired ideas come when we’re not thinking about them – when we’re focused on something else like driving to work, going for a walk, or listening to music. In those instances, our conscious mind is focused on routine known processes and leaves room for our subconscious mind to relax, and wander off bubbling up new connections. Just like making a great soup, our subconscious amazingly brings together all the ingredients of real experiences as well as dreams, sensory information, stories, music, art, learning from successes and failures, plus pinches of imagination and possibility turning it into those lightbulb moments of inspiration and breakthrough.
Our subconscious mind operates 24x7 and can process immense amounts of information, blending reality and imagined things which can spark that inspiration to make the impossible possible. When we’re at an impasse in solving a tough problem or in a creativity block, maybe try putting it on the back burner to simmer in the subconscious awhile like cooking up a great soup.
What's the difference between letting things simmer, and procrastinating?
They both extend time and shift our focus on something different. It’s a very fine line in the balance between incubating and procrastinating. However, procrastinating is frequently driven by fears or anxiety where we place the need to avoid doing necessary things over the need to act. Mindset plays a key role of whether the time delay is driven by worry and avoidance, or fear of failing; or if driven by switching our attention or venue to free up thought and being subconsciously confident we can come back at some point and move forward. In our busy lives of overstimulation and multi-tasking, our attention can quickly drain and let distractions to creep in. Procrastination enables distractions that pull us out of the simmering soup pot.
Utilize Time As A Resource To Tip The Unconscious Mind To Incubating
When stuck, take an exercise or play break.
Breakthrough ideas often happen when we intersperse play or exercise breaks with work. Einstein was known to take refuge in music and playing his violin. When asked to describe his mental process, he referred to it as Combinatory Play. Essentially the process of opening up our mind and experiences to take in and synthesize unrelated images, concepts, disciplines, and perspectives.
“Combinatory play seems to be the essential feature in productive thought.”
–Albert Einstein
It’s also good advice that when we’re stuck mentally, to get up and take a walk. Exercise frees up the conscious mind and opens space for ideas or other thoughts to come together. Walking or exercise improves blood flow and oxygen to the brain. Taking deeper breaths gets more oxygen into the blood stream, and as the heart pumps faster more oxygenated blood goes to the brain. More blood flow to the brain enables better cognitive function for ideas and problems to simmer.
Some suggestions how to build muscle incubating.
Be present to observe everything up, down, and sideways to take in the inspiration all around us.
Learn, be curious, inquisitive, and question the status quo or current paradigms.
Practice intentionally connecting the dots of unrelated things or ideas, and try and find patterns where it might seemingly appear none exist.
Get outside our comfort zones by trying something new or noticing something different and interesting everyday
Practice simplifying the difficult and changing up our surroundings to see and experience new things
Create non-focused time to let our minds wander, such as incorporating in the day more creative, play, exercise, and sleep time to let the unconscious mind go to work connecting disparate ideas.
Take the opportunity to use time as a resource, get that incubating pot simmering to question what others take for granted, gain knowledge, and cook up that breakthrough to have an impact and create new value!
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