Time to Read: 4 mins
Getting exercise in Vegas, in the heat of the summer, either has to happen early in the morning or indoors. I love nature, so here I am, at 5 am, on the trail before the desert heat gets hostile.
No notifications (thank you, “Do-Not-Disturb” mode). No open tabs. No inbox vying for my attention. Just me, the trail, and a voice memo app catching whatever my brain hands me.
This is where nearly every newsletter you've ever read from me actually started.
But I didn't stumble into this approach by accident. I went looking for it.
I tested different times of day against different activities, and watched for when my brain felt most connected and alive. The goal was to create the conditions where deeper, more creative thinking could surface.
Mornings + Hiking turned out to be the magic combination that empowered me to do so.
I call it my sandbox. The specific time and activity where my brain gets to do its best work, unsupervised.
And what my coaching work has taught me is that everyone has an ideal sandbox.
BUT… Often, it’s yet to be discovered.
Most of us just accept whatever thinking conditions are present. Whether that’s fitting our thinking between other people's calendars or priorities, or assuming our brain can only problem-solve a certain way.
But the truth is: the best solution might just be the counterintuitive one that you’ve never tested.
There's research that backs this up, as well. A study published in Psychological Science looked at problem-solving and evaluated what happens when people take a break from the challenge or task at hand. It turns out... problem-solving capacities improve after a break spent on an undemanding task where the mind was given space to wander.
The wandering wasn't a detour from the problem. It was how the problem got solved.
Which is exactly what happened with a client of mine, who we'll call "Maya."
In the early days of her business, Maya focused heavily on how to design client experiences that had a true WOW factor. It was novel at the time, and her clients felt her efforts. So much so that her business exploded through word of mouth.
But the busier she got, the less time she spent thinking about the client experience. She was so busy, in fact, that she hardly noticed when the experience had become tired and stale.
That is, until the referrals stopped and the revenue dipped. It was only then that she realized she had a real problem to solve.
A past conversation about the watercolor paintings on her wall had let me in on a little secret. Maya used to love painting. But she'd quit almost two years earlier, because somewhere along the way she'd decided it was irresponsible.
Painting was fun, and fun was at odds with everything she believed was required of building a business. But was that belief true?
I challenged her to spend 15-minutes per day, over the next 7 days, painting. She was skeptical (as evidenced by her “Whatchu talkin’ bout, Willis” face), and had real concerns that it would not be time well spent.
But, she agreed to give it a try.
And to her surprise, 15-minutes quickly turned into an enjoyable hour, day after day, for an entire week. And in the space of letting her mind wander, she gained real clarity on where the business had grown stale and how she could reinvigorate it.
Reclaiming an aimless activity gave her mind the space it needed to problem-solve in the background.
And the solution wound up being exactly what she needed!
That's not a coincidence. That's the sandbox doing its job!
And it’s available to all of us... we just have to lead ourselves through it.
💡 Practionable Takeaway
Do you have a go-to sandbox? An activity and time of day where your mind gets to wander and your brain gets to do its best work, unsupervised?
If so, hit reply on this email — I’d love to hear about it!
If not, here’s something to try:
1️⃣ Make a list of activities you used to enjoy but rarely engage in anymore, especially if it’s because they feel unproductive, indulgent, or like a waste of time.
2️⃣ Take note of the time of day when your brain actually feels clearest and most alive.
3️⃣ Put the two together for one week, even if it's just for fifteen minutes a day, and notice what surfaces in the process.
You might just be surprised by the possibilities that arise when you spend time playing in your sandbox.
🎥 Want to Go Deeper?
If you've never mapped your own thinking conditions, the self-leadership assessment is a good place to start. It will help you understand how you think, and identify areas of strength and opportunities for growth.
Plus, I’ve recently revised it to include a custom report, complete with insights on your individual scores. You can check it out here.
To Your Success,
Laura 💜🧡
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