Find your white space

FINDING YOUR WHITE SPACE
Want to innovate or come up with better ideas?

You probably need more whitespace: unscheduled, unshackled, unplanned time.

After 10 years in business, I’ve realised that my business only grows when I’m taking a day off or when I’m away on holidays.

Here’s what happens:

🔹 My brain changes pace
🔹 I read books or listen to podcasts and actually absorb the information
🔹 I have freedom to think without meetings, emails, or notifications
🔹 I allow myself to walk around which helps my creative energy to flow
🔹 I can fully immerse myself in a concept
🔹 Ideas have time to gestate and develop beyond an initial thought

Giving yourself that whitespace allows everything to wash around you without pressure. It creates the kind of environment you need to produce good, creative ideas. Ideas that can grow your business and lead to more innovative campaigns or offers.

Once I realised how valuable whitespace is, I became more intentional about it. As of a few weeks ago, Fridays became my thinking time.

➡ I let my team know I’ll be going offline
➡ I start wrapping up my week on Thursdays
➡ I switch on my out of office and don’t check emails or schedule meetings
➡ I start to reconnect and ease back in on Sunday

Sometimes I need just 3-4 days away. Or I might need to take a full week off, distraction-free, to plan a big project or sit with a problem.

This is true also for the creative and design team. If they’re working on a food-based project, they might go for a walk through the supermarket to get immersed in that environment instead of sitting at their desk. Or they might watch podcasts, read articles, or just sit outside in the sun.

The same principle applies to other kinds of work – not just creative. For example, it’s easy to get stuck in autopilot if you’re constantly in meetings, ticking boxes, and completing your tasks. Whitespace can enable you to see people as people again and make more genuine connections with them.

If you’ve been feeling uninspired or stuck lately, I strongly recommend scheduling in more whitespace and really protecting that space so your creative right brain can do its best work.

This post is part of a 10 year anniversary reflection series, covering some of my biggest takeaways from the past decade in business. Read the blog here: https://lnkd.in/g9t5nWP3