I’m sure you’ve heard it before, maybe even said it yourself: “Just put your blinders on and focus on what you’re doing.”
Sure, blinders are important. We get distracted by every little thing.
But what happens when the blinders stop us from discovering what we need to actually get the job done. In creative work, more often than not, we need to remove the blinders (read iPhone, camera, notebook, laptop, etc.) and observe life beyond our periphery.
In fact, we need to experience life.
Ferris Bueller said it best: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
Inspiration is fleeting. It comes and goes in a moment’s notice. If we’re not aware of our surroundings, we may miss the spark for our next big idea or the solution to some nagging problem.
Work is work as life is life. We can’t always have our eyes open to everything. Without some focus, we’d never get anything accomplished. But we can all set aside time to pause whatever we’re working on and experience our surroundings.
Here are a couple ideas to get you started:
1. Play.
When you’re at the playground with your kids, leave your phone in the car. I know you want to tweet those cute pictures of your kids on the jungle gym, but how about you take the time to experience the jungle gym yourself. If you don’t have kids, just hop in the car now with three of your closest friends and drive to the nearest park. Play is a fantastic way to reorient yourself to your surroundings.
2. Read a genre that rarely gets your attention.
Read a novel if all you read is nonfiction. Open yourself to figure out how the author is writing the story. Oh, and keep a pen nearby or use the note features on your e-reader to keep track of moments that strike you.
