I’ve begun scheduling a specific item into my schedule each day. I call it the Don Draper moment (think Mad Men, ad executive). I grab my favorite beverage and stare out the window for a few minutes. I look at the city. I look at the cars. I let my mind wander. I do this a few times each day.
To some it might look like I’m not working. But I’m actually engaged in something very important. I’m stepping back from work and looking at the big picture. This is a time to step away from my task list and evaluate everything I’m doing.
You see, there are two sides to creativity. There’s the inspiration and there’s the action. You need both if you want to create something worthwhile. The problem is, if you work for someone else, you probably spend more time in the action side of things than the inspiration side.
It’s easy to consume your time with the action side. Actions are easy to evaluate. Did you get everything done? Did you produce more than you needed to? That’s a good thing. But when we only evaluate action, we lose the opportunity to evaluate the quality of the action. And that’s where inspiration comes in.
So I stare out the window. I evaluate what I’m doing. Do I need to do this? Am I approaching this problem correctly? Is there something I’m missing? Is there an easy solution that eludes me?
I schedule a few of these into my day. And I don’t feel guilty staring out the window. This is important to my process because I’m intentional with it.
Do you have these moments scheduled into your day? What’s your Don Draper moment? We all need moments of reflection in the midst of our hectic to do lists.
“You see, there are two sides to creativity. There’s the inspiration and there’s the action.” I like this. My Don Draper moment usually exists in brief walks around the parking lot.
“You see, there are two sides to creativity. There’s the inspiration and there’s the action.” I like this. My Don Draper moment usually exists in brief walks around the parking lot.
Weather designing a set, putting together a coffee house, or doing a community variety show, the quiet time to just be still and know that he is God, is not optional.
Weather designing a set, putting together a coffee house, or doing a community variety show, the quiet time to just be still and know that he is God, is not optional.