With thanks to Neil deGrasse Tyson
National Geographic calls Neil the world’s most famous astrophysicist. Since 1996 he has been the Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space in New York City.
I was recently having a conversation with my CEO Shauna Naf and we discussed a statement he had made which impacted her and that I thought was BRILLIANT. He had said, “In order to be more creative you need to be less productive.”
This resonated so strongly with me because for over 20 years I have utilized the power of quiet uninterrupted time which I call my Hour of Power to get things done. In fact, my most creative time is always during my Hour of Power. I have no distractions, (I won’t allow it) no phone calls, no emails, no interruptions allowed and this one single act that I do Monday through Friday is what has been my guiding light for all these years.
His words reminded me that creativity needs space to bloom. Space that is not filled up with a long list of things that need to get done. In fact, I often joke about the fact that every year in January when I return to work after being off for the holidays two weeks, I am full of new creative ideas. When I am away from work for two weeks and put my productivity on hold it seems that my creativity increases dramatically.
As a real estate professional, you are required to do some very creative work in your business. Whether you are working on monthly mailers, quarterly reports, or even creating videos, these types of projects require a level of creativity. If you find yourself dreading these projects, you may not be in the right mindset because of your overwhelming to-do list.
Unfortunately, we live in a to-do list world and while that has its place, creativity can get stifled when we don’t allow it the room it needs to bloom.
Are you allowing yourself the creative space you need for your business to thrive? Try putting your to-do lists aside and find a quiet place to allow your creative juices to flow. One way you can start is by making a list of the projects you want to get done. Some will be technical, some paperwork related, and some creative. Make sure you schedule the creative projects during a time period that allows you to be creative. If I am completing some type of paperwork that I have done before I can usually complete it during the day between all the other things I have to do. But when it comes to writing an article or being creative that needs to be done when my mind is most ready to be creative.
Until hearing Neil’s words, I never thought about why my Hour of Power was so effective in getting me focused and creative. My Hour of Power is the most productive time of my day for getting anything creative done.
Thank you, Shauna, for sharing this with me and thank you Neil for your brilliance. I encourage you all to make room for the creative space your business requires.
By Denise Lones CSP, M.I.R.M., CDEI – The founding partner of The Lones Group, Denise Lones, brings nearly three decades of experience in the real estate industry. With agent/broker coaching, expertise in branding, lead generation, strategic marketing, business analysis, new home project planning, product development, Denise is nationally recognized as the source for all things real estate. With a passion for improvement, Denise has helped thousands of real estate agents, brokers, and managers build their business to unprecedented levels of success, while helping them maintain balance and quality of life.
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Thankyou! I appreciate this! I see this as a way to also put your whole heart into it & appreciate the time instead of just going thru a checklist to get done robotically.
Cheers!