Leaders: Are You Blocking Out Thinking Time in Your Calendar?

Slowing down to speed up. While this may seem counterintuitive and far from standard in a world that is switched on 24/7, I’m a big believer in pausing with intent. Having interacted with thousands of people over several years at all different stages of their careers and across various industries and roles, I’ve never met anyone who didn’t require ‘thinking time’ to be the best possible version of themselves.

Why thinking time is a non-negotiable

Energy management is a big part of getting the best out of ourselves. While introverts require solo time to recharge their batteries, extroverts recharge their energy levels by interacting with others……and often on their own too.  And then there’s a whole cohort of people who sit somewhere between being introverts and extroverts (I’m aware of ambiverts, too). Regardless, strategic thinking, stakeholder engagement, relationship management and building and all the other elements that may be required in your role require headspace and high-level thinking.

Regardless of your position, are you actively blocking out thinking time in your calendar? I’d love to hear your experiences. Thinking time looks different for different people; it doesn’t necessarily mean sitting at your desk and staring at a blank page. Interestingly—and you may have your own examples, I tend to have my best ideas when I’m not working. Generating ideas while out walking, or thinking more deeply about an issue – endeavoring to cover all aspects.  Also, giving our minds a rest is a typical example many people share.  Just like our computers, we need to recalibrate!

Challenging yourself to consider an issue from all angles

If you’re facing a challenging work situation involving many complexities, it’s essential to dedicate serious thinking time to the task at hand. While I am the first person to say it’s important to be agile, situations always require informed decision-making, whether we’re seeking to resolve or improve something. Most of us (and I am guilty of this too at times) find ourselves thinking on the go or in meetings we haven’t properly prepared for. We need to do better than this! For those in leadership roles, this is often an unfortunate consequence of having numerous back-to-back meetings throughout the day.

The importance of being the example you want to see in the workplace

Firstly, if you frequently find yourself in back-to-back meetings, consider blocking out chunks of time in your calendar on at least two days a week. Doing so gives you the breathing space you need and can reduce the burden of meetings that consistently run over time and don’t lead to solid outcomes.

5 easy ways you can set an example

• Treat your thinking time like an important meeting or appointment you wouldn’t cancel or move
• Create a thinking time ritual. For example, by grabbing a coffee at a particular location where you know you won’t be disturbed
• Make a point to be well-prepared for every meeting and bring your ideas and strategies to the meeting – you can also invite others to do the same
• If you struggle to find thinking time in your calendar, delegate whatever you can to others. Go through your regular tasks and ask yourself, Do I really need to be the person handling this?
• Set boundaries with your team and go offline if needed. Let them know what you are doing, turn off your phone and do anything else required to protect your thinking time

Depending on how far you want to run with this idea, you could also plan a Thinking Retreat for yourself and your team or senior leaders each year (or however often you feel such an event is needed). You’d be surprised at how a change in environment and taking people away from their daily routines can inspire them to be creative and think out of the box.

Thinking time is a critical skill for leaders now and into the future, particularly with how fast-paced workplace environments are becoming. (And I can’t see this slowing down.) Ultimately, my goal is to see your calendar with ‘thinking time and [enter subject]’ clearly marked!