We’re all busy. Our calendars are all packed. We’re all trying to check the boxes on our to-do lists, which are ruled by tasks, deadlines, and deliverables. What needs to get done, and the most recent fire that has flared up, always takes priority. Frankly, there’s no margin time built in where we can do, well, nothing.
That changed a week ago when I set an hour on my calendar with no agenda. I blocked out 60 minutes and sat down with a blank page. Then, I allowed myself to brainstorm and wrote down everything that came to mind. I captured all of the ideas, the questions I had, and the “what-if” moments… For 3600 seconds, I let my imagination run wild.
As I approached this exercise, I realized that it had been a long time since I created the space for something like this. It’s been months, even years, since I sat down with no agenda and only my imagination. As a kid, I used to do this all of the time. I’d grab some paper, pencils, and markers and then sit and draw. The things that came to me in those free, unrestricted moments were powerful. But, then, the older I got, the more “responsibility” crept in – and I tricked myself into believing that using my imagination was irresponsible.
Truth be told, sitting down for those 60 minutes felt rebellious. Weren’t there projects that needed to get done and boxes that needed to get checked? Weren’t there fires that needed to get put out and deadlines looming? What if my team caught me just sitting there doing nothing?
That’s actually the point…
I wasn’t doing nothing.
In fact, I was probably doing the most valuable thing I’ve done in a long time. I was using my imagination. I was making space to be curious. I was creating a vision for the future and allowing myself to see the world without the lens of tasks and to-do lists.
This time was valuable, and as I sat there, I could feel it. Like a muscle that hasn’t been flexed in a while, my imagination took a little bit to get warmed up. But then, when it began firing, the mental doors opened up. Ideas started to sneak out, and I began following paths of thought that I wouldn’t have gone down otherwise. That sixty minutes allowed me to think and explore and ideate in ways I haven’t for a long time.
It was amazing, and I have another session like this one scheduled on my calendar, waiting for me and my imagination to connect again.
Call-to-Action
Give yourself 60 minutes. Schedule it, sit down with your own blank slate, and then let whatever is going to show up appear. Tap into your imagination again, think about what’s possible, and capture it on paper. Then, let us know how your experience was!
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Ready for more?
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