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What active alone time is (and why you need it)
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Tue, May 8, 2018 06:16 PM
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If you work in a typical office, your day probably looks something like this… Arrive at work on
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[ð Hi there!](=)
If you work in a typical office, your day probably looks something like thisâ¦
Arrive at work on time, log into your computer, chat to your colleagues, make a drink, chat some more to your colleagues, then go to your first meeting of the day!
It may seem like a social and fun way to start the day, but youâll be failing to make use of a crucial component of success: active alone time.
What do I mean by active alone time?
Well, itâs the time during your working day (or evening) which you should put aside for solitude. This alone time will be when you tap into your creative mind to come up with:
- Solutions to problems
- Ideas for boosting your business
- Ways to increase your productivity
When youâre busy chatting with colleagues, dealing with clients (or trying to stay awake in meetings!), then your mind is fully occupied. Thereâs no space left for anything else.
Itâs only when you give yourself some alone time that your thoughts will have chance to order themselves, and your subconscious mind can begin to offer you ideas and insights to help you reach your goals.
Of course, alone time could easily be wasted through daydreaming and letting your mind drift onto trivial stuff. It could also be taken up by scrolling through social media, reading breaking news stories, or even bingeing on the latest Netflix series!
Thatâs why I want you to focus on active alone time.
This is the time you put aside to work towards getting results.
For example, imagine you have a chance to be promoted at your workplace. The only thing between you and the promotion is an interview with the senior management team. What would be your way to prepare?
Well, weâre all different, but Iâm sure your first thoughts would include doing some research on the new job and chatting to your colleagues about what the role entails.
These are certainly useful steps, but I believe youâll find more value in spending some time alone to think through:
- Why you want the job
- What you can bring to the role
- Why the senior management team should hire you
By giving your mind some quiet time to think about the above points, youâll be amazed with what it can come up with - and how quickly it can deliver creative solutions perfectly suited to your needs.
At this point, you may be thinking:
âHow much active alone time a day should I spend?â
Itâs a good question. And my answer would be - spend as much time as you need.
For some people, 10 minutes active alone time in a morning is all they require to get the necessary focus and ideas for the rest of the day. Other people may take longer than this, or prefer to have two or three active alone time sessions a day.
Now, donât get me wrong. Iâm not suggesting that you spend 5 hours a day just thinking about work. (If you were to do this, youâd barely have any time left to actually do any work!) But I am recommending that you put aside a small amount of time every working day to give your mind the space and freedom to help you reach your goals and potential.
As I said at the start of this email, most peopleâs days are filled with noise and endless communications with others. No wonder then, that very few people are able to unleash their creativity - or tap into great ideas.
By giving yourself regular periods of active alone time, youâll immediately start to increase your confidence, motivation and productivity. And if - like my earlier example - youâre looking to climb the career ladder, then active alone time will give you the boost you need to succeed.
You may have been taught that brainstorming in groups is the ultimate way of coming up with ideas and solutions. I disagree. Often this approach just leads to confusion or over-complication.
The ultimate way of dealing with problems and coming up with ideas is to give your mind time to dwell on whatâs needed - and then wait for it to provide you with the ideal answers.
If you havenât tried this before. I highly recommend that you give it a go.
And if youâre concerned about spending time alone, the quote below should put your mind to rest:
You can read more of my thoughts on this topic in my recent article:
[Why it is Okay for You to be Alone](
I sincerely hope my words and advice are helpful to you, and if they are - please [share your thoughts or experiences](=).
Best,
- Leon
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