© Washington Post
We believe that the opposite of focus— daydreaming, goofing off, spacing out— is to be avoided. Worse yet, having problems focusing is seen as an obstacle to overcome and even as pathological. Self-help books and productivity bloggers strive to keep us on task with advice and hacks.
When we fail to come up with the results we were hoping for, we wonder whether we just aren't working or concentrating hard enough. We've come to consider focus and being on as "good," and idleness— especially if it goes on for too long— as "bad" and unproductive. We feel guilty if we spend too much time doing nothing.
But in thinking this way, we make a fundamental mistake.
Truly successful people don't come up with great ideas through focus alone. They are successful because they make time to
not concentrate and to engage in a broad array of activities like playing golf. As a consequence, they think inventively and are profoundly creative: they develop innovative solutions to problems and connect dots in brilliant ways. Dwight Eisenhower logged more hours on the golf course than any other U.S. president yet is also regarded as one of the best presidents this country has ever had.
In a time and age when everyone is over-scheduled and over-focused, creativity is more and more prized— it's the key to your effectiveness and success, in life and in business. It can also be a never- ending source of joy and happiness.
Here are three ways to "unfocus" for heightened creativity:
Comment: Further reading: