Take Time To Think

Have you ever been so caught up with what’s going on in your life that you drove home and couldn’t remember how you got there . Perhaps you completely forgot what the conversation you just had with a friend was about. In our fast paced and constantly in contact world our brains are pummeled with information every second.  We hardly have time just to process what is going on in our lives. We tend to take little time to think about what is really going on and when faced with tough decisions or issues get overwhelmed. 

Perhaps our brains are out of the practice of thinking  and instead spend to much energy intaking.  For example try getting a group of three people to decide where to go to eat.  Not as easy as it sounds. I know I am guilty of the “What ever you want” response. As Tony Robbin’s would say “our decision muscles” are weak.

I have learned to slow down at lease a few minutes several times throughout the day just to clear my head of all the minutia that goes on. In the real estate business my phone and e-mail are constantly buzzing and people expect immediate response. Fair enough. I have come to realize that immediate isn’t always my best. Of course there are times when quick thinking and fast judgement are necessary, but most of our decisions and issues don’t require such heroic efforts. What they require is a few minutes of contemplation. Time to get past the initial emotional response to allow a pragmatic or the necessary creative approach to solve the issue of the day.

I have come up with a practice I call 10/10/10.

• First 10 – I take 10 minutes in the morning at work to just sit and think about the day ahead. Brain dump my to do list and get clarity on what I want to accomplish.
• Lunch 10 – After lunch I take another 10 to organize my afternoon and reflect on the morning.  This allows me to break down my day into manageable parts. This also helps me transist from one project to the next.
• Get Home 10 – On my way home I try to take 10 minutes of my drive in silence or listening to something inspirational to help scrub off all the daily grime of business and work stuff. My goal here is the switch hats to Hubby and Daddy from Realtor and Builder.

I wish I could say my day always went like this. Sometimes its 2/3/1 or 10/6/8. My hats don’t always switch as smoothly as I would like. The idea is to be aware and take moments to think.

I hope you take some time to slow down and think. Your brain will thank you,
God Bless,
Joseph