A small rubber duck bathing.

A small rubber duck bathing. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Isaac Newton was relaxing under a tree when the concept of gravity came to him.

Archimedes was having a bath when he discovered how to measure the volume of an irregular shape.

There’s something about truly relaxing that enables the mind to come up with amazing ideas.

So often the best innovations aren’t found in a boardroom, an office or a laboratory, but in a pool, on a quiet drive, reading a great book or when simply doing nothing.

And yet we feel the need to continually drive ourselves and keep ourselves constantly busy.

We stay connected to work at all hours and feel guilty about taking time off.

We wear our full calendars and high stress levels as a badge of honour, too often confusing busyness with effectiveness.

We live in a knowledge age that demands creativity and brilliant solutions to complex problems, but we so often operate in a way that’s counter-productive to such demands.

If you need new ideas, new ways of doing business or new ways to market what you’re selling, perhaps you need to spend more time relaxing and less time furrowing your brow.

Perhaps it’s time to stop working so hard and just let the ideas flow.

Don’t confuse such idleness with laziness.

I’m not talking about avoiding the necessary work that needs to be done.

I’m talking about ensuring that you take the time to have a bath or sit under a tree.

Who knows, you could be the next one shouting, “Eureka!”

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