Plan to Think
“Are you taking any time off over Christmas?” I asked the leader I was coaching.
“I’ve got a couple of weeks planned,” they responded, sounding and looking like they desperately needed a break.
“How are you going to use your time off?” I followed up with.
Pausing, they looked puzzled.
“What do you mean?” they asked.
“Well, I think that periods like the festive break and a change of the year give us a great opportunity to not only relax, but also to reflect and to plan,” I replied.
Nodding I could see they were following.
“The challenge for many,” I continued, is that by the time they get to the planned break they’re so exhausted that they don’t end up using their time off effectively. They just get swept along by events and before they know it, the break is over.”
Still nodding, I felt that we were ready to explore how they could use the simple but powerful concept of ‘Plan to Think’.
How do you think?
As humans, unless we have developed some deep Buddhist style ability to clear our minds, our thoughts are frequently filled with endless chatter each day. Whilst sometimes useful, most of this chatter is our minds having free reign to churn through whatever arises in any moment. As much as I’m sure everyone reading this can relate, what we don’t often realise is that this chatter is a form of thinking. Yes, it might be freestyle thinking, but it’s still thinking.
In the midst our freestyle thinking, there are moments when a gem arises in our mind; a solution to a problem we are facing appears as if from nowhere. That’s right, somehow in amongst the seemingly mindless chatter our minds have unconsciously processed information relating to a specific situation and created a solution for us. When I explore these moments with people, it is almost always the case that there is a pattern to when this type of thinking occurs.
“It’s when I’m swimming,” someone once told me. “That’s where I have my best thoughts.”
“But,” they continued, “often by the time I’ve finished my laps I’ve forgotten the ideas I’ve had.”
Recognising that in amongst our freestyle thinking there is power in how our mind works, and that there are moments when we think best means that we can use this power by planning to think.
Plan to Think
Let’s imagine you have a particular problem you need to solve, or something you need to plan for. In the conversation with the person I was coaching, what they wanted to ‘solve’, was planning for the year ahead. So, if we know we have something specific we want to think about, and we know when we think best, the power of ‘planning to think’ is to set ourselves up to think about the right things, at the right time, and in the right way.
So, how do we do that? The steps are simple:
- Create a definition of what you want to focus on. Whether it be planning for the year ahead, or solving a specific problem, it doesn’t really matter. The key is to be specific about the topic.
- Create a visual board. On this board capture all the things that are currently on your mind about your main topic of focus. For example, with my client they were thinking about how their team would evolve, what products they wanted to develop, and how they wanted to improve overall performance. This was whilst also learning to enjoy the experience of their work more. As they were quite a visual thinker, they created a large board with lots of images that represented each of the things on their mind.
- Put the board somewhere visible. Once you’ve developed your board make sure you put it somewhere that’s visible and where you have to see it a few times per day. The goal here is to programme the unconscious so that the topics are embedded more deeply than just considering them once.
- Create the time to think. This involves setting up time to do what you do when you think best. Whether it be walking, swimming or some other form of activity, creating time is all about making sure you create space to think. As you do this, make sure you have a way of capturing whatever thoughts you have so they don’t get lost like those of the swimmer.
- Consolidate your thoughts. After you’ve given yourself time to think, allowing the mind to do what it does best, take time to consolidate your thoughts so that it creates a cohesive picture for what you do next with the topic under consideration.
From Chatter to Gems
Whether we like it or not, our mind will engage in chatter as the flow of thoughts emerge. Recognising that we can influence what our mind focuses on, and thus use the power of our unconscious, helps us shift the chatter to creating gems. And the route to create these gems is Planning to Think!
If you’re heading off for a break this festive period, why not plan how you will use your time to think. The topic need not be anything profound, but recognising the immense power of our minds means that we can use it to greater effect.
If you would like some support contact Rob@purposefulleader.co