You’ve heard before that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. In the movie, The Shining, it made Jack a crazy boy (shudder!). In real life, we not only become dull, but we become tired, cranky and ineffective.
Did you catch that last word – ineffective. We are Effective when we are relaxed, when we feel balanced and our moods are stable; this state can be achieved by making sure you have time off the clock. As meeting planners, innovation and creativity are must haves, therefore it is extremely important for you to take the time to have some rest and fun. You need to let those brain muscles relax for a bit and it is in this space that magic can happen.
Jonah Lehrer’s book, Imagine: How Creativity Works, “explores where innovative thoughts originate and explains how some companies are now working to create environments where they’re more likely to occur.” In the book he highlights the company 3M which encourages its engineers to use one hour a day to work on a side project or hobby; it allows them time and space for creativeness to flourish. The company must be doing something right! 3M started out making packaging tape, now they bring to us Post-It Notes, professional projectors, air purifiers and more.
Don’t be dull, dear meeting planner. Give yourself enough rest and play to allow for those amazing ideas, hiding just under the surface, to come up and out and keep flowing! Come on over to Facebook and be part of our creative community of meeting planners; share your own ideas, ask questions, and have fun! If you are on Pinterest, we could also “meet” there!
