Centering Productivity through Conscientious Quiet Time

There can be an aversion to being alone with thoughts. Where the silence takes over and the world skips away, like a seven-year-old self revisiting the knee scrapes and bullying of elementary school. Some who cross into the quiet confront demons, or at the very least, expect they will. It is a shame, and a product of their upbringing – taught not to deal head on with conflict and doubts, but instead to put them aside as if they never existed. But these demons continue to exist, and even shelved in the chaotic closets of the mind, exert an influence upon the waking, experiential world.

 

Sounds lovely, doesn’t it?

 

The demon’s main weapons are doubt and distraction- questioning creative endeavor, capability, and even those concepts thought rock solid- talent. Excuses become common, where work and output are halted due to time constraints and blockage. Meditation as a vernacular becomes a hurdle- I don’t know how to meditate. There are formulas, procedures- holy men spend a lifetime learning how. Excuses all.

 

There is no learning how – there is simply just doing.

Finding quiet is simply seeking a place where the distractions are non-existent, and the demons- if they still exist – have a chance to be faced head on.

Quiet allows the mind to ‘dump’ as it were, shutting down conscientiously the clatter and noise of every day and coming to grips with the task of clearing a pathway to creative thought. With the worries confronted, and the affirmations of creativity revisited, entirely new means of expression become possible.

 

One thing to be aware of is confusing 'drive time' or 'tv time' as quiet time. Both of these seemingly centering activities fill the brain with detritus - a need to be aware of other drivers, the constant barrage of media messages designed to slip through the most passive of watchers. These activities only add to the stress of an overly active mind, filling it with more and more distractions without allowing it to rest and regenerate.

 

Find solace in a chaotic world.

 

A place of true centering is within a space devoid of external distractions. Low light, an absence of sound, a temperature close to the human body's own internal temperature. The more controlled an environment is in regards to limiting external influences, the more productive the reflective nature of quiet time will be.

 

While seeking the solace of absolute silence, a practitioner should be focused on emptiness. Locating the core of nothing is the goal - not 'pre-setting' the meditative state to focus on any one issue. With mindful quiet comes inspiration, not plans of conquest.

 

Through all of this, there are positive benefits of meditation and quiet time.

 

Even if done in a half-focused manner, regular connections with the quiet within extend life. Significantly, in fact. Removing stress from what makes us run lowers blood pressure, increases brain cell regeneration, a strengthened immune system, better sleep, and improved digestion for removing toxins from the body.  

 

For the creative mind, a reconnection with quiet clears away the milieu of doubt and frozen productivity. Pathways become clear with positive goals materializing in the process. By focusing attention on absolutely nothing at all, the mind is given the freedom to utilize the environmental inputs it has been collecting over a lifetime to draw out the purest forms of expression - from painting to writing, to innovation and invention.

 

 

All it takes is a dedication to find that quiet spot, to shut out the world for a period of time and reconnect with the voice within that simply needs your attention.