Wander — it's worth it

When was the last time you really allowed yourself to sit and think?

I don’t mean mindlessly scrolling through your phone at the end of an exhausting day or counting down the minutes while commuting. I mean setting aside time to truly let your thoughts wander.

At school, we were constantly told to focus — pay attention to the right thing at the same time as everyone else and to not get distracted — which is maybe why so many of us try to avoid letting our mind go where it wants to go.

As a creative and a founder today, I know how essential this time is, and I crave the space to actually do it. With the constant noise from emails, current engagements, calls, meetings, clients, commutes, news, and the day-to-day distractions of life, it can be difficult to prioritize.

There are some unfortunate days where I’ve spent more time fighting to carve out these moments than I actually spend in them. And while I’ve read books and listened to podcasts that reinforce the importance of pausing to think, the reality of making it happen can still feel challenging. (Thankfully I have made it a priority to protect that time when I feel it’s really needed).

I can honestly say that I’ve never regretted dedicating time to free thinking and brainstorming, even if it means putting other demands on hold.

A study published in 2019 in Psychological Science showed that creative ideas occur during mind wandering — or what the researchers called "spontaneous task-independent thinking."

Sometimes, that’s exactly what we need — even when we don’t know it.

Deciding how to spend your time and energy

When balancing so many different types of tasks, I’ve found myself struggling to decide how to plan out my time — whether it’s about logistics and errands or big-picture brainstorming, or career and life planning. Each requires a different mindset and energy level.

From my own experience (and those close to me), I’ve found it helps to prioritize anything that would otherwise distract me from getting into a relaxed, reflective state. As often as I can, I’ll focus first on the tasks that need creative energy or deep thought.

The most important thing I’ve learned is to avoid putting high expectations on the output of this thinking time. I’ve never regretted the time spent reflecting, but I’ve caught myself putting pressure on that time by equating an hour of reflection with an hour of writing or design work. It’s not the same.

Creative thinking time can be difficult to measure. And when you look at it from the perspective that not all time is weighted equally, those rare moments of reflection — when you’re inspired and in flow — could end up being worth much more in the long run because of the insights or directions they open up.

While not every thought will be creative, some may be and by having more time spent daydreaming it's more likely that some of the thoughts will be innovative, Dr. Gail Saltz shared (a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Weill-Cornell Medical College and a psychoanalyst with the New York Psychoanalytic Institute).

Creating space by identifying what’s missing

If you’re struggling to find the time to reflect regularly, one way to begin is by recognizing what might be missing from your current schedule.

Ask yourself: what’s sucking up most of my time lately, and what am I craving more of? Tuning into these gaps makes it a bit easier to prioritize creating that space to let your mind wander.

I’ve noticed that these moments of reflection don’t always come from a perfectly planned brainstorming session. Professionally, we can plan strategy sessions and quarterly planning days. Personally, these moments often happen unexpectedly — while walking, either through a park or along city streets, or on a long subway or transit ride. There’s something about being in motion that helps ideas surface. Sometimes, I’ll see something — a super bright autumn leaf, a group of people capturing a selfie, an unexpected piece of street art — that shifts my thinking away from the usual work mode. This shift lets me move from a task-focused mindset to one that’s more thoughtful, present, and open to creative ideas.

Deep thinking in a world of distraction

Distractions surround us constantly. We’re all fed endless fragments of information —social media posts, ads, conversations, emails — rarely taking the time to go deep with any single thought. And that’s just the content we consume, let alone the energy it takes to create.

If you and I are going to make regular time for deep thinking, it has to be intentional. I try to block out time on weekends or Fridays, days when I have fewer commitments, or in any large gaps between meetings. Instead of filling those hours with random emails or Slack messages, I’ll go for a walk or change up my environment to give myself that space to think.

Moments of reflection tend to come naturally around seasonal changes, holidays, and the start of a new year — times that invite us to go deeper. But this isn’t about setting goals or being ultra-productive. It’s about giving yourself a chance to find your next big idea, or maybe just a small insight. It’s about letting yourself reflect, process, and become open to inspiration — a chance to follow your intuition and think about things from a fresh perspective.

Giving yourself time to think matters

The benefit of this reflective time ultimately is that it leads not only to better work but also to a deeper sense of fulfillment and alignment with yourself.

When you’re more grounded, inspired, aware and in tune, it affects everything.

Happier, more fulfilled people make those around them happier too, and in turn, help make the world a little better.

So take that time, no matter how busy things get. (It’s worth it).

Now what?

👋 If you’re adding some of this time in, let me know how it goes! Just hit reply.

💡 If you want to run an idea by me or talk — from branding to business to careers —  feel free to book a one-on-one session here.