Last week, I shared what High-Quality Think Time means to me. Next, I detailed my consummate routine on one of the ways I spend time in my sweet little head. At the end of it all, I promised to underscore some benefits of High-Quality Think Time while sharing a caveat to our terrific, elongated think sessions. Alright, let’s go….
High-Quality Think Time: A difference maker between average and exceptional
Life is always happening. There’s always something going on, and in some instances, we must concurrently face multiple challenges. Often in like moments, it’s difficult to make time and realize all that’s going on, let alone successfully process the various happenings in our lives.
Under coercion of such torment, the quality of our output is compromised. Yes, pressure creates diamonds, and there are people who, like my good friend Beatriz Martinez, work well under stress. Despite said truths, all ideas and ventures require much thought and a lot of planning.
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Right now, I’d like you to pick the first successful company that comes to mind. Regarding your pick, success did not happen overnight. Undoubtedly, the founder(s) did not, in a frantic-hurried fashion, create a blueprint for their companies.
Instead, there was a lot of pain before joy – many pressure-filled moments and sleepless nights for CEOs. Still, apart from the early planning, the headaches, and the struggles, good leaders and visionaries will make time for High-Quality Thinking.
According to an article written for Inc, Warren Buffet has spent 80% of his career thinking. Other high-profile CEO’s such as Tim Armstrong of AOL, Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn and Bill Gates also make time for elongated routine “think sessions”. Buffet, Weiner, Armstrong, and Gates are practitioners of High-Quality Thinking, thus by default, they’re also champions of this kind of thinking regimen.
And rightly so, as the four men I have mentioned each understand that hard work alone isn’t sufficient to achieve exceptional glory. For this reason, among others, all four men, and those like them, routinely devote time to think and plan for optimal results.
I must say this: it’s true that in business and life, we can’t predict everything that will go wrong. Yet if we make time to plan and think, we could mitigate some or most risks. Overall, high-quality thinking is one of many means to stay ahead of the curve while staying on top of your game in the pursuit of exceptional results.
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Planning and thinking to optimize results – staying ahead of the curve – mitigating risks – staying on top of your game – all of this sounds fucking wonderful, right? Yet, when is too much High-Quality Think Time a problem??
High-Quality Think Time: when too much becomes devoid of quality.
One of the stigmas attached to introverts is “we spend too much time in our heads”. Maybe some introverts spend too much time in their heads – maybe? Seriously, I believe some introverts have mistakenly booked one-way flights to the recesses in their minds. But still, I’m a proponent of spending time in my head, because even the best things come with at least one caveat. Speaking of caveats, in a moment, I’ll discuss how to address and overcome “the caveat” of High-Quality Think Time overload, or too much thinking. For now, let’s look at the downside to such unwarranted lengthy staycations within the mind.
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To imagine, dream, and conceive ideas are beautiful acts that require, at minimum, a fraction of cognitive horsepower. Yet, to dream, imagine, and conceive ideas is meaningless sans one’s intent to act on and bring all ideas to fruition. And while there are some people who, for different reasons, cannot dream and develop ideas, a dream without action is just a dream. One could devote countless hours to High-Quality Think Time, and conceive an incalculable number of ideas, but without action and effort to actualize those ideas, then what??
Equally are those I call chronic strategists – people who think and plan continuously without working to actualize anything. Some may call them perfectionists, which by the way, perfectionism is another characteristic attached to introverts. Beautiful ladies and handsome gentlemen, dreaming without action, or strategizing continuously, are examples of High-Quality Think Time overload, or too much thinking. However, the difference between chronic strategists and perfectionists is this: the latter class will at some point get off their asses and make shit happen.
I’m guilty of having been in both classes of chronic strategists and perfectionists. Thanks to my introverted biology, I was and still am a perfectionist, because I strive to do my best, while constantly exploring new possibilities in my mind. Yet, there have been times when my chronic strategist tendencies took the wheel, resulting in more time spent on thinking and conceiving new ideas than on doing. So, while under the spell of chronic strategic thinking, the cycles of High-Quality Think sessions and edits became cyclical madness. During said occurrences, although the idea(s) of those times never saw the light of day, ironically there was a result to it all: I never got shit done.
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So, how does one address and overcome too much thinking? First, you must develop a goal – this is your “why” – your purpose. Ask yourself exactly what you wish to achieve via High-Quality Thinking. Next, hold yourself accountable by setting goals – our goals are benchmarks and help measure progress on your ultimate goal. If you aren’t hitting most or all your targets, or you find yourself veering of course into unintended territory, then make time to reassess your plans via – you guessed it – making time to think.
Next week, in our third and final installment, I will discuss what High-Quality Think Time could mean for you. As always, thank you for reading; I’ll see you soon!
Kind regards,
Joshua
