How to Use Daydreaming...
According to W.H. Auden, “A daydream is a meal at which images are eaten. Some of us are gourmets, some gourmands, and a good many takes their images precooked out of a can and swallow them down whole, absent-mindedly and with little relish.” In terms of your business, daydreaming can be a creative part of development – visualizing the way you’d like things to be can help you move ahead.
Daydreaming basics
Daydreaming to many has the connotation of shiftlessness – letting your mind wander from more important activities on which you should be concentrating. School children are scolded for daydreaming rather than paying attention to the teacher. But this view of daydreaming is too limited. Daydreaming is a process of spontaneously imagining things and, with a good intention and a little practice, it can be channeled into productive thoughts.
Daydreaming can be used constructively to create a mental image of how you’d like your business to be so that you can then devise programs and strategies to actualize your fantasy. Some of the most creative thinkers use daydreaming as a regular and productive activity.
Take ten
Some progressive companies, such as General Electric, encourage constructive daydreaming employees’ to unlock fresh ideas. The company suggests spending five minutes a day on daydreaming and then sharing ideas with others at the company.
Give employees ten minutes to think about the company three years in the future. Then allot time for them to share these ideas with co-workers.
Develop daydreaming processes
Yoshiro Nakamatsu, the person who patented the floppy diskette, the CD player and the digital watch, has a daily routine for daydreaming. Each morning he spends time in his static room (a white room with no metal that conveys calm), his dynamic room (a dark room with special audio and video equipment) and then swims underwater and holds his breath for as long as he can. During this time he lets his mind wander in free association. After his swim he writes down all the random thoughts and ideas he can remember.
While we all can’t be great inventors, we can find our own way to tap into our creative potential.
Caution: Don’t try to fit in daydreaming while performing other activities. If you need to concentrate on what you’re doing, such as driving or operating machinery, it is not the time to daydream.
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