Shhh.

Since I became a consultant and no longer handcuffed to an office, I've come to truly appreciate the importance of quiet. Not just the absence of sound, but the absence of clutter and distraction. This didn't happen intentionally. I was working on a strategy in my home office and just felt stuck. So, I went outside and started weeding my garden and checking on my tomatoes. By the time I was done tending to my plants, I had an idea that inspired creative which won a Gold Cannes Lion that year.

Recent studies show that silence has a positive impact on our nervous system, it helps sustain energy, and "conditions our minds to be more adaptive and responsive to the complex environments in which so many of us now live, work, and lead." In other words, periods of sustained quiet make us better thinkers.

I've begun using a homework exercise for brand workshops called "Sleep On It." It borrows from the scientific fact that our brains cognitively process thoughts while we sleep. We then tease out those thoughts by creating mindful moments throughout the day, designed to block out the noise and clutter by which so many of us are inflicted. While it doesn't necessarily yield the right ideas or answers, it almost certainly brings new ways of thinking about an issue to the workshop. I've been itching to use this as a qualitative homework exercise as well.

With this in mind, find some quiet today. A walk around the block, shut off social media for 30 minutes, meditate - whatever it takes to find your Sounds of Silence. (You knew I had to go there.)