I rub my hands together at the thought of "Tom time".

What, you might ask, is "Tom time"?

Simply put, it's time by myself with no fixed plans for how I spend that time.

And I always thought I loved this because it was a chance to re-charge my batteries and do my own thing.

I think this is partly true.

But maybe a smaller part than I thought.

Because what I’ve realised recently is that I enjoy “Tom time” for a very particular reason:

It gives me time and space, in my diary and in my head, to explore and create. 

You see, in order for something new to come into the world, there needs to be space for that thing to arrive into.

And I’ve found when I give myself time and space just for the sake of giving myself time and space, it opens me up to possibilities I wouldn’t have had otherwise.

New thoughts bubble up from nowhere…

I find myself moving in interesting or useful directions…

And I get to know myself better.  

Ultimately, being busy or getting caught up in the chatter in my head doesn't help me see things more clearly.

The opposite does.

Kind of neat, don’t you think?

Well, maybe you don't.

But if you do, here’s a small experiment:

Try to find 30 minutes in the next week just for you.

Not to watch TV, catch up on admin or call a friend.  But time with no agenda whatsoever.

Your only agenda is to do nothing and see what comes up.  To discover what you’re drawn to.  And to follow that thread, wherever it takes you.

No pressure and no obligations.  Just possibilities waiting to be found.

Einstein once said: "I think 99 times and find nothing.  I stop thinking, swim in silence, and the truth comes to me".

The frizzy-haired brainbox has knocked it out the park yet again.

Catch you tomorrow.

- Tom

p.s. if you give this a go and you'd like to share what comes up, hit reply and let me know.  I'd be interested to hear.