Game Changer #3

Need a Breakthrough? Clean Your House!

by Rochelle Melander

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”

That saying, attributed to both Knute Rockne and Joseph P. Kennedy, was used in a hit song by Billy Ocean.

It perfectly captures the American work ethic: work hard.

While it may seem like a good idea to work without stopping, it is not. It is a recipe for burnout.

Not everyone approaches their work that way.

The French mathematician Henri Poincaré once solved a difficult math problem when he stepped on a bus. But that didn’t surprise him. Poincaré believed his unconscious would solve problems when he walked away from them. He developed a routine that some “compared to a bee flitting from flower to flower. “ He wrote in Mathematical Definition in Education that, “It is by logic we prove, it is by intuition that we invent.” (Source)

Years ago, while writing a book on self-care for spiritual leaders, my husband and I wrote ourselves into a corner. Our prose felt turgid and the tone didn’t work. Our editor told us to take the weekend off, maybe go to a movie. We did. And the next time we looked at the project, we had an epiphany: the book needed to be interactive instead of simply informative. We’d need to revamp the whole book structure, but it would be worth it.

Here’s the game changer: repetitive, mindless activities lead to aha moments. (The Breakout Principle by Herbert Benson and William Proctor).

Build boring breaks into your day. Do your chores. Knit a hat. Sweep the floor. Take a walk. Build a bookcase.

But don’t stop there. New experiences stimulate our brain and help us connect ideas, information, and experiences. Take time off to see art, hear live music performed, read books, and connect with friends and strangers.

Take inspiration from Albert Einstein: “I never made one of my discoveries through the process of rational thinking.”

For more on this, listen to the Hidden Brain episode, Unleashing Your Creativity.