You've carved out time to think. Now what?

7 ideas for designing a more effective strategic thinking session

Most people don’t want to spend more time at work. But within the category of “work” there are several things that people often do wish to spend more time doing. Top of the list is strategic thinking. People want to move beyond dashing between emails, meetings, and deadlines to think about what they’re doing and what they should be doing, and how they can get there.

That is a great idea for sure. And sometimes people actually succeed in carving out strategic thinking time. But then what? What do you actually do during this time to increase the chances that it is spent well, and doesn’t just turn into another inbox clean-out session?

Here are some ideas that I find helpful.

1. Go in with a question. Instead of just hoping for deep thoughts, try to direct your brain in the direction you want those deep thoughts to go. Choose a question you will ponder. The more specific the question the better. “What should my next book be about?” is kind of overwhelming. “What topics did I enjoy writing about over the last year?” is more actionable, because it suggests something to do during the strategic thinking time (namely, looking over things I’ve written over the past year). You may come up with ideas about other things as you’re pondering your main question. Indeed, you probably will, as your brain goes off on various tangents. But having some direction is helpful.