Recently, I attended a group viewing of a webinar. The experience was extremely disappointing and ultimately, I’m very glad that it was.
The presenter didn’t seem to understand how to use the webinar system, English is not his first language (and it showed), and the program did not match the advertised description. While my investment was very small, as this was a group viewing, part of me was more concerned about the loss of productive time.
Still I stuck it out and that’s when things started to get interesting. Suddenly new ideas began to flow into my mind. I found myself in a creative state and I jotted down my thoughts as fast as I could.
It’s worth noting that they had next to nothing to do with the topic of the webinar. But as dull as it was, the presentation had changed my brain’s diet.
Instead of feeding it the usual information, I had changed what I was putting into my mind. Maybe it was just varying my routine that helped do it but I’m glad that I did, even though the talk was agonizing.
In today’s busy, complex world, it can be easy to lock yourself into a routine. But over time, your mind loses some flexibility. To Clear the Path to new ideas, you’ve got to shake up your routine and feed it something different. Don’t keep doing the same things you did yesterday, last week, or a month ago.
Put something new into your brain. Maybe it’s a webinar, a concert, or a film you normally would not see. Maybe you stop at that restaurant you drive by every night and always talk about visiting. Doing something new will help get your creative juices flowing, which can feel like a mental mini-vacation.
As I learned at my webinar, even a waste of time can be highly productive.
