Schedule Time to NOT Be Busy

Meetings. Conference calls. Emergency requests. Non-emergency requests pretending to be emergency requests. 

Our days often feel like an endless stream of frantic events, and we hop from one task to another (or sometimes juggling more than one task at a time) in an effort to get things completed. Being busy is what we all want, right? It means business is good!

But it is this busyness that prevents us from standing apart from our competitors - it keeps us from slowing down to brainstorm innovative ways to stand out from our competitors. 

Try this: schedule (yes, on your actual calendar) 15 minutes each day for a week to look away from your computer and cell phone, and think. Think about your clients, their issues, and how you can help them in a way that you are not currently doing. Perhaps you help develop a system to prevent issues, or you offer a systematic approach to tackle issues that arise frequently in order to create efficiencies and cut costs. 

Sure, it feels silly, but "Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change." (Brene Brown)