Why Slowing Down Makes Your Business Stronger
If you want to be creative, stop trying to be creative.
A Stanford study found that your creative output can increase by as much as 60% when you’re walking.
This week I’ve been by the sea with my family. Proper time out with long walks on the beach, lazy mornings playing with the dogs and trying (as best I can!) to really switch off.
It’s taken me 10 years of running my own business to actually “get it” and give myself permission to do this. To put my oxygen mask on first.
And although I’m only halfway through the week, I can already feel the difference. I’ve got that buzzy butterfly feeling at the bottom of my tummy, my head is bursting with new ideas, and yes… I’ve got little notebooks scattered around the holiday cottage and in the car to capture them all as they come (much to my husband’s amusement, or frustration, depending on the moment!).
The thing is, whenever I do take proper time out, I notice the same three things:
1. I’m more enthusiastic and procrastinate less
Running a business often feels like being on a rollercoaster with constant highs and lows. If you don’t get off sometimes, you burn out.
When I come back from the seaside I’m more switched on, which means I’m more productive and get things done quicker and better. I get things done more quickly and with better focus. I feel like I have more patience, I become more tolerant and I seem to procrastinate less, getting most of the boring tasks done on time too.
2. I’m full of fresh ideas and perspective
My best ideas don’t come when I’m staring at a screen. They usually come to me when I’m walking the dogs, our for a run or sitting by the sea.
There’s science behind this. Our brains literally light up in new ways when we give them space to wander. Andreasen even gave this a name: REST - Random Episodic Silent Thinking.
During REST, your brain makes links and connections between all the bits of information stored away. It’s why you suddenly have a great idea in the shower. When you let your mind drift, you free up your brain to connect the dots, speculate, and test out new ideas in the background.
In simple terms, if you want to be creative, stop trying to be creative.
““When the brain/mind thinks in a free and unencumbered fashion, it uses its most human and complex parts.””
3. I can keep going for longer
This one’s harder to measure, but it’s the thing I feel most. Taking a proper break gives me the stamina to keep going.
Instead of running on empty, I come back refreshed, healthier, and basically less knackered. I’ve got the resilience to keep building and to handle whatever’s coming next.
And that doesn’t just make me a better business owner. It makes me a better wife, mum, mentor, and overall human being.
The Inside-Out Connection
You’ve probably heard me say it before: the strongest businesses are built from the inside out, based on vision, values and people.
But the thing we often forget: we are part of that inside too. It starts with us.
If we’re not in a good place. If we’re feeling drained, distracted or overwhelmed, our businesses feel it too. When we show up refreshed, calm and creative, the people around us feel it too, our colleagues, our clients and our families.
That’s why slowing down isn’t indulgent. It’s vital.
How to Make Space
Of course, it's not always easy to take a week off and not everyone wants to be by the seaside, that’s just what works for me. But slowing down doesn’t have to be big, complicated or expensive.
What matters is finding the things that work for you.
Here are some of the simplest things that have worked for me and that I’ve seen work for other small business owners I work with that you might want to try:
Micro-breaks: Go for a 10-minute walk between calls or just get outside for some fresh air.
No-meeting mornings or days: Protect chunks of time in your diary to breathe, think and plan. I know when I look at my diary and it’s crammed with back-to-back meetings, I already feel overwhelmed. But if I can see a morning or even better, one or two full days with no commitments, I feel calmer and more in control.
Digital switch-offs: It sounds easy, but it’s often the hardest. Try leaving your phone in another room for the evening. Turn off notifications. Even switching your phone to monochrome can make it less tempting and addictive.
A change of scenery: Getting out of the office and working somewhere different for the day can really help me feel more creative and productive. Whether it’s a coffee shop, co-working space or even sitting in my car by the reservoir up in Goyt Valley, these all help me to break the monotony and makes things more interesting.