In a fast paced (and ever increasing) world, there are so many things that fight for our attention and we are busier than ever.

There’s hardly such thing as down time anymore because we have trained our brains to be reactive to interruptions and are constantly “Go! Go! Go!”.

Our phones and other distractions are rarely out of reach and our mind never gets a break.

When was the last time you took a break to sit and do nothing for 30 minutes?

When was the last time you gave your brain a mental break?

If you do plan time for white space periodically, you are the minority. This is a gravely underlooked and undervalued concept that provides many benefits.

Our brains are an amazing supercomputer. But all great pieces of technology need to recharge at some point.

When we don’t let our mind rest we are fighting against it’s potential.

It then has a hard time converting short-term memory into long-term memory.

It becomes fatigued and simple problem solving skills and decision making become difficult.

And when we throw in stress and anxiety into the mix, our brains get overloaded. If this is happening consistently it can impair digestion, weaken the immune system, and negatively effect our sleep.

Sleep is great for resting the mind. Our brains need this every night in order to recharge.

But we need that added white space of doing nothing periodically throughout the day as well.

Remember me talking about the Pomodoro Technique? If you haven’t read that blog, or need a refresher, you can read it here: How to Work More Efficiently to Maximize your Time.

The Pomodoro Technique is a process for working in chunks and scheduling breaks. I’m using this strategy while writing this blog now!

It’s a related topic but not the same concept I am writing about today.

…Hear me out.

I understand you’re busy and probably have more going on than you can handle right now.

But that’s exactly why you may need this.

Specifically, what I’m referring to is scheduling white space/head space/whatever you want to call it, periodically throughout your week.

Time where you can take 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes or whatever you can manage, to sit and literally do nothing.

Let your mind wander, journal your thoughts, practice deep breathing, pray, anything like that.

OK, so technically that’s not NOTHING but the point is to put away all distractions and let your mind do what it wants for a little bit.

I tend to get overwhelmed rather quickly. And I’m constantly thinking about what I have to do next.

When I take time for white space it helps me declutter my mind, relax, and refocus.

This doesn’t have to be every day, although some people like to schedule in a set amount of time of white space at the same time every day. Try to add it in periodically throughout your week.

My encouragement to you- Next time you feel overwhelmed and on the verge of burning out, take a few minutes to clear your head and enjoy some white space. You’ll be glad you did.

How do you enjoy your white space and how has it helped you?

You can share your thoughts in the comments section below this post. I’d love to hear it.

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