Nothing Matters

Life is a creative act, and an entrepreneurs need to be especially creative.

Something I have learned is the value of unstructured time. Specifically, time when I have no obligation to make any progress whatsoever on any of my current to-dos, projects or any type of obligation.

An hour of free association is ripe with potential that frequently pays off. I know this because I try to devote the first 30-60 minutes of each day to writing. Before I look at a phone or a laptop, I start a pot of coffee and open my Morning Pages journal. Julia Cameron, creator of this ritual defines it as 3-pages written, stream-of-consciousness, never-to-be-looked at again. A brain dump, basically - but right at the start of your day, before your brain has become cluttered with the minutia of life.

My version of this ritual is to start the pen moving, letting it go no more than three pages, but I can stop whenever I: 1) run out of time, or 2) feel done. Inevitably, I experience some amount of clarity about a problem I’ve been wrestling with, or how to make the most of the day ahead. I often express specific gratitude for someone I interacted with the day prior, or someone for whom I am looking forward to seeing later that day.

An uncluttered mind, encouraged to wander will pleasantly surprise you. I promise.

These daily, micro-doses of mental meandering without agenda will bear fruit - so too will full day solo Clarity Breaks, as suggested by Gino Wickman and Rob Dube in their book, Shine. It will come as no surprise that Gino’s system for running entrepreneurial businesses (EOS) also includes for quarterly off-site meetings of the business’ leadership team. As an EOS Implementer, I have seen more breakthroughs by teams at these meetings than I can count.

Nothing matters - and it matters a lot. Our brains work best when we are not always directing them. Turn yours loose and let me know how it goes.