Jay was stuck on an algorithm he was trying to code. Out of ideas, he approached his team lead. After a lot of thought, the TL advised him to really focus on the problem to find a solution. Jay was then forwarded to the project manager who promptly opened a Jira story for ideation. Jay is still stuck. But now he has a Jira story, a date and two people monitoring it.

We live in an age of productivity. The world is obsessed with doing more in less time. There are more tools tracking every hour of our day than the number of minutes in it. Leaving even a minute idle in our calendar is considered a sin. Many of us take enormous pride in saying, “My calendar is full.”

But in this race for performance let’s not confuse productivity with being busy. Being occupied every second of the day is a great strategy if you fit screws on an assembly line. But most jobs today involve thinking. And in such a role being busy all the time is actually counter-productive.

Thinking is not a typical task that you can do by simply putting in the hours. Thoughts don’t come just because your boss wants you to think outside the box. Ideas don’t gush in as soon as you open a Jira story for brainstorming.

Your thoughts have a mind of their own. Ideas take their own sweet time to take shape. And they often show up when you are not even looking for them. Ideas are like a shy nightingale capable of creating divine melody, but only when nobody is looking. Or like the air that gushes in whenever it finds a vacuum.

So, it is important to create empty spaces in your day to give your thoughts the opportunity to flow in. Taking breaks and resting your mind is known to boost productivity and generate new ideas.

Studies show that idle time contributes to creativity. Engaging in undemanding tasks like walking, that allow the mind to wander, can lead to increased creativity and problem-solving ability.

Taking small breaks has been proven to improve work performance by reducing stress and boosting the mind. Exposure to nature has been known to help the brain recover from mental fatigue.

Think of your brain as an axe. Although chopping wood is its primary job, the axe can do it well only if it is sharpened periodically. And in order to sharpen it you have to stop chopping the wood.

So, the next time you feel drained of ideas, take a stroll in the park, play with your kid or read a book. Let your mind rest. Let it wander aimlessly. Give it a chance to sharpen itself. And ideas will start flowing in.