Why rethinking down time is key to successfully leading teams

We are living in an epidemic of urgency and busyness. Unless we are flat out, working ridiculous hours, we are judged – and we often judge ourselves – as lazy or unproductive, explains productivity expert Donna McGeorge.

However, it’s becoming increasingly clear that down time is not only beneficial to individuals but also essential for successfully leading teams.

It’s time to reframe ‘laziness’ and to enjoy life’s pauses.

Down time is not wasted time

For years, researchers have proved time and time again the productive and positive impact of restful activities:

Daydreaming, and even boredom, promote creative thinking.
Discovering non-work-related activities that both rejuvenate and excite you will provide the energy you need when it’s time to get down to work. They also create an awesome contrast frame so you’ll enjoy work-related activities even more!
Being in flow: Mihaly Csíkszentmihályi coined this term in the 1970s for what happens when we become “so immersed in a feeling of energised focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity that we lose sense of space and time”. And we get more done! Up to 500 per cent more, according to a ten-year McKinsey study.
Socialising: We get cognitive boosts from social interactions and we also experience higher levels of intellectual performance.
Disconnecting from work: Those of us who are able to disconnect from work are healthier and more engaged when we are at work, and less prone to procrastination.

WATCH: Understanding the causes and remedies for burnout:

Down time and the brain

In her book, The High Performance Mind, Anna Wise tells us that creativity, innovation, inspiration and intuition are only available to us when our brain is in certain states of consciousness.

Have you ever heard someone say, ‘I just can’t think clearly!’ or ‘I can’t make sense of this!’ or ‘I just don’t have the bandwidth for this’? Just ask the parents of a newborn who are not getting enough sleep. Typically, this is because they cannot access sufficiently the brainwave that helps you feel centred, relaxed and creative.

It’s no secret that our aha! moments often happen when we’re resting and while we rarely use just one kind of brainwave at a time, each has its own job or characteristics.

For example:

Beta brainwaves are accessed in a waking state of consciousness or when you’re thinking — like now, as you read this article. They are responsible for analytical thinking and problem-solving – and too much of this leads to over secretion of cortisol and adrenaline.
Alpha brainwaves are those that are typically present when we are in a state of relaxation or distant awareness, such as when we are daydreaming. You can access alpha waves through anything that ‘zones you out’, like watching TV, working on a hobby or even taking a long drive. It’s where positive thinking, stress reduction and accelerated learning lives.
Theta and Delta brainwaves are accessed when you sleep or are unconscious. Both are required to have a good night’s sleep – they allow access to intuition, empathy and instinct.

In a nutshell, if you are not accessing these brainwaves at the appropriate time, you will not have access to the ability to be creative, innovative and intuitive. If we want our teams to collaborate, create and challenge effectively, which is what high performing teams do, we need to allow them down time so their brains can do their best work.

Being less busy isn’t the issue. The real opportunity here is to take time out. To stop and take stock of where you are at and make some decisions about how you want to work. Without some level of mastery and control over your time, at best, you will lose opportunities and at worst, you will become ill.

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