How I Get My Best Ideas...

One thing that I've noticed is that my best ideas never come to me in front of my PC, or reading an ebook or scouring the latest marketing courses. Those all give great input...but it's so easy to become an info-addict that we jump from one thing to another and never take advantage of our mind's natural process.

The key is to get away from your computer, your business...everything, at the very least one day per week.

What I do is schedule play time. I treat that relaxation as deadly serious as a business meeting. My scheduled relaxation is not replaced except by emergency.

Something amazing happens when you not only give yourself permission to relax...but actually require it.

For most of us, especially if we're struggling, there seems to be an immense guilt when we aren't trying to work on our businesses. I had this feeling a lot when I was first starting out. Anytime I tried to take a walk with my wife, or relax and read a book or just "chill" I would get this nagging feeling like I should be doing "something". I sure as hell didn't know what...but man, how could I be successful if I wasn't working? Nevermind that I had no idea what I was doing...I couldn't have started a fire in a gunpowder factory at that point. But there was always this guilt there...my mind never got a rest.

It's when the mind is at rest when the subconcious gets a chance to do its thing. Ideas and problems and opportunities that seemed so confusing before can become clear.

If you're not giving yourself "play" time then you'll probably be amazed at how much more productive you are when you finally do. Schedule an entire day off from work, no computer.

With this planned relaxation you don't have any nagging guilt or "I should be doing..." lingering about because you have given yourself permission to relax, to enjoy, to rest.

You just might be surprised at the great ideas you come up with when you "turn off" your business brain for awhile.