It is extremely difficult to develop new ideas amidst the burdens of the every day. Phones ringing. Deadlines looming. Email boxes overflowing. For many of us, a successful day is simply completing as many action steps as we can to move the ball forward on our projects.
Progress in any project ultimately starts with taking action. So, action-packed days are our best hope for pushing our ideas to fruition. However, it can also be argued that revolutionary achievements start with great insights - insights that require time, deep thought, and a certain degree of peace.
If Thomas Edison was right when he said that genius is “1% inspiration and 99% perspiration,” then we should question how we spend our time. When do you jump fully into “action mode,” and when do you take time to dream up new ideas?
As I have shared before in other posts, some especially productive innovators interviewed by Behance claim that they use every weekday for execution and preserve their weekends for inspiration and “unfocused thinking.” This is not to suggest that weekdays should be void of creativity, but rather that we should focus on completing action steps and getting stuff done during the week and then contemplating the bigger picture on the weekends…
After all, weekends are spent out of the typical flow of work and are more relaxing and conducive for thinking of new ideas. Consider preserving your weekdays for relentless execution and then your weekends for reflection.
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Behance articles and tips are adapted from the writing and research of Scott Belsky and the Behance team. Behance runs the Behance Creative Network , the Creative Jobs List, and develops knowledge, products, and services that help creative professionals make ideas happen. All information © Scott Belsky, Behance LLC