Simplification is about stripping away the distractions and clutter that monopolize our attention and threaten our connection. – Kim John Payne
The Power of Reflection
This past week I realized the value of creating space to reflect. So often I fill my time with work, reading, or listening to podcasts that I forget to set aside time to reflect on the information I am gathering. I see a podcast or a book as the next task on my list of things to get done. I listen to one podcast only to get through it and listen to the next one. Or, I read a book to see how many pages I can finish in a day. My goal is to get through it and stay on a schedule where I finish one book only to pick up another. In this way I have created a competition with myself that focuses on finishing something rather than getting the most out of it. As I read a book called “Simplicity Parenting” I am learning about creating physical and temporal space in a child’s environment to allow the mind to develop. I think there is the same value in creating temporal space as an adult to process the information we gather. Our minds may not be growing the same way a child’s does yet we still need time to allow ideas to develop. This idea was still lost on me until the charging cable for my phone shorted out. Prior to that, my environment focused on consuming more and more rather than processing and implementing what I have already learned.
Accidental Quiet
My phone cable shorted out while I was traveling. I did not have a spare with me and was close to returning so I decided not to buy a replacement. This meant that I was not able to charge my phone for the rest of the trip. This was not a major issue since I was out of the country and I was not using my phone to communicate. It did create a minor problem because it meant that in order to conserve the battery enough for my return trip I would not have it to listen to podcasts while I exercised. I initially thought that would be a difficult to cope with. Over the past four years I have used my workouts as a time to listen to a podcast or a book. Now, it was not an option; I would be alone with my thoughts. However, as I ran, an amazing thing happened; being alone with my thoughts meant that I was able to think. I thought about my family, my work, my team, the book I was reading, the last podcast I listened to. I started to process some of the information swirling around in my head. I didn’t have any grand revelation on that run. I was able to process my past few weeks and prepare mentally for the upcoming day. My preparation for the day became the revelation in itself. I saw the added value of taking some time away from the hustle of hunting for more and being content with working with what I already have.
Intentional Quiet
I do enjoy listening to something while I workout. And I am not sure I am ready to stop. I can say that I recognize the importance of setting aside time to step away from the business of the day and think. In practice fore me this means that when I run in the mornings I leave my podcasts behind and enjoy the quiet time with my thoughts. I still use my headphones on workouts at the gym which makes the quiet runs even more special. If you feel like you are in a state of perpetual inflow of information, see if there is a time in your schedule where you can integrate some quiet for processing all of the information you are gathering.
Where can you add some space in your schedule for quiet and reflection?
Justin Liesen 