There’s a velux window directly over the head of my bed.
Listening to large globules of rain hitting that window in the small hours of the morning, at 3.30 am or thereabouts, is one of the best, free experiences I frequently enjoy.
Lying in bed, warm, with the duvet pulled up, and listening to the howling winds and the incessant patter of raindrops of a storm striking that window in January or February is sublime.
It’s also the one place, before I get up at 5.30 am, where I do my best thinking.
Do you remember the type of clear, focused, distraction free thinking we used to do before the smartphone and tablet and pc and Netflix and Alexa and laptop and iPads, and all the other distractions?
That type of thinking is only now available to me between 3.30 and 5.30 in the morning, lying in bed. It doesn’t make for a great night’s sleep, quite frankly, but that’s a different issue.
But virtually every morning I will remember something I need to do, or an enquiry I need to make, or a file I need to follow up during those “golden hours”.
The opportunity to do some distraction free thinking on a daily basis is a priceless asset to my business, and to my life generally.
The type of clarity and certainty that flows from clear, focused concentration of thought and the necessary weighing up of the various facts to be taken into account only comes from these early morning solo brainstorming sessions.
Perhaps there is a psychological or medical reason involving the subconscious mind and its propensity to work away in the background when I am asleep which may result in this valuable period of intense thinking in the early hours. I read a book recently written by a sleep expert and learned about the different types of sleep, circadian rhythms, and REM sleep.
Perhaps the tried and trusted advice from down through the centuries to “sleep on it” when making a big decision has a sound basis.
What I am certain of, however, is the value of distraction free thinking on a regular basis. I am equally certain that the gadgets and technology of 2020 makes it harder and rarer to experience these sessions with regularity.
How about you? Where do you do your best thinking? Is there a place you go?