Why should we spend at least an hour every day thinking?

This article is shared by Andreas von der Heydt - head of content and director of Kindle e-book application at Amazon in Germany. Previously, he also held many senior management positions at Amazon and L'Oréal. In addition, Andreas is also an expert in leadership and coaching on the management of Consumer Goods Club, and is involved in sharing career and work articles as an individual user. on LinkedIn page.

In today's complex and extremely dynamic world, many people rush to jump from one meeting to another, pursuing one task after another and trying to find ways to cram more. many jobs on their schedule, making the todo list more and more long and never knowing how to complete them.

For them, management and leadership are like going to the gym, having to sweat, and practicing hard to get "good shape". However, in reality, they are at a very high risk of becoming a "prisoner" of excessive expectations, of narrow brains and head-on work without thinking. They didn't stop enough, they didn't take a break and they didn't think.

Contrary to them, the best leaders regularly allocate time to think and reflect themselves (reflection: looking back at the problem, illuminating yourself to understand your xinxing, emotions . .). For example, Mark Zuckerberg or Bill Gates always have annual "thinking weeks" or "thinking days" , including walking, meditating, reading and eating healthy.

You can hastily argue that you don't have enough time to think, because you're too busy and have to do more important things. In this case, let me introduce Warren Buffett - the world's most successful investor, who spends about 80% of his time reading and thinking.

Obviously, if an investment legend has to spend a lot of time getting a privilege for thinking, you can do so. Read the techniques and approaches that have been proven effective below so that you can practice your habit of thinking more.

Turning THINKING becomes a part of your life

It is extremely important to understand and fully accept that you have enough time for thinking. Make it a part of your work and personal life, and set it up as a core value. Someday at the end of your life, when you look back, you will want to say that you have been thinking very deeply about every topic and aspect that is important to you.

Set a habit of weekly or daily thinking

There will always be jobs or deadlines that you need to ensure. That is the reality of life. However, in order to allocate enough time for thinking, you need to set a fixed time frame for it: either do it at least one day an hour and / or alternately spend time reflecting yourself. at the beginning of the week. It all depends on your personality and preferences. The important thing here is that you need to do it and don't let others steal your thinking time.

Find and be excited about things that can excite you to think

Playing sports and reading books are things that give me a great idea. For you, it could be hiking in the mountains, playing with children or playing the piano. Whatever it is, enjoy it regularly, develop and preserve it.

Clearly define the top 3 thinking goals

Either a week or a day. Usually, we only plan for specific actions and business goals. So from now on, every Sunday, make writing at least 3 goals that stimulate thinking for the next week becomes a priority for you.

Set up 6 quality questions

Unfortunately, many of us have forgotten how to ask questions. Others are very lazy to ask questions. Or sometimes we may be afraid to do so. However, don't be like that, ask a series of questions such as why, why not, whether, if not, what else, how, when, who, by whom, from when Which to exploit your creative flow.

Nourish your brain

Thinkers love to "eat" information, data, stories . More, better. Which book are you currently reading? Many of them read 2-3 books at the same time and many categories such as fiction (such as fiction, literature .), nonfiction books (psychology, business, philosophy . ), story. Whatever. And by the way, it is not necessary to read every book from beginning to end.

Regularly check the quality of thinking time frames

Make sure that once or twice a week, you spend 10 to 15 minutes to reassess whether your daily thinking activities and the overall calendar match your goals? If not, spend more time thinking.

Becoming successful in life is not just about working hard. Work (career, property) is only one aspect of life. There are other important areas that need to receive adequate and regular attention to have a full life with enough time to think: social aspects (family, friends, recognition), Health aspects (sports, relaxation, dieting, happy and healthy living) and THINKING as part of the mental aspect (fullness, religion, love and philosophy).

Having enough time to think is largely about how well you manage yourself and take full responsibility for your life. You can and you must be "super active" in thinking, creating, managing and living your life. No one can and will help you do that.