Designate An Hour A Week For Think Time

Financial analysts seem to have a never-ending to-do list. Do you ever feel like, after long hours of work, your brain is so stuffed you can’t think anymore? Do you find yourself always caught up in the doing and that there is never enough time for thinking?

That was exactly my feeling a few days ago. I wasn’t able to concentrate at work, no matter how hard I tried to discipline myself. No fresh idea came to mind for my work or for my writing. My productivity dipped.

I remembered a prominent executive coach who would make his clients set aside 20% of their work time for thinking. He calls it vision time. So, I gave it try. I unplugged myself for two days – no computer and no business call.

It was tough getting unplugged at first. There is so much in my to-do pipeline. The think time paid off tremendously. I had a breakthrough in two areas where I’ve been “stuck” for almost two weeks.

I understand that with the busy schedule of a , you are unlikely to have the flexibility to take two days off whenever you need to. My suggestion is to take small doses of think time regularly. An hour a week should be quite beneficial and effective.

Find a quiet relaxing environment and away from the office. It can be simply having lunch alone once a week which can be easily incorporated into your routine. Be sure to bring a pen and a notepad to catch any idea that comes to mind.

It may seem like goofing off initially to take a break when there is work waiting. I can testify that think time allows not only the space to see the big picture with better clarity, particularly important for strategic planning. It also allows room for creativity to come through, helping you see solutions to your problems or recognizing a potential problem before it happens.

Designate a regular time slot in your week to thinking. The busier you are as a financial analyst, the more significant the role of regular think time would be.

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