Have you ever taken a cruise? If so, you recognize that feeling of a BIG ocean with a small ocean liner on it. Yes, that cruise ship sounded large when you booked your trip. But now that you’re on the open seas you recognize the immense space you’re a part of.

That same feeling of space applies to your time. Using the illustration of a cruise again, you may have had the sense that you had hours of free time. No appointments. No email. No phone calls. No deadlines.

It’s this sense of space, particularly of time space, that you need to cultivate in your business. Without it, your days are packed full of activities, leaving you with no time to do the long-term thinking you need to grow your business.

So how do you get this space in your schedule? Here are two methods that work.

1. Schedule it. Actually block out days on your calendar to “do nothing.” While this might initially seem counter-productive, you will find the insight you gain with that space is worth every penny of lost productivity.

You may find that you do best with taking a week at a time, every six to twelve months. Or you may do better with taking every Friday off. It depends on your preference.

2. Add it in. When traveling to a conference, build in an extra day before the conference to clear your mind of day-to-day concerns. You’ll get more out of attending the event.

In addition, add an extra day or two onto the end of your trip. You will have time to process your notes, revise your action plan based on the new information you just received, and generally have some time to think.

3. Repurpose your current time. Much has been said about the value of listening to audios as you commute or exercise. But what if you used that time to listen to your internal thoughts instead? You might be surprised at the results when you allow yourself that quiet, as you drive or walk.

Naturally you don’t need to do it every day. But try not listening to audio programs or the radio as you drive to work on Mondays. You will be surprised at the result!

Now that you have the time, how do you use it?

There are two major approaches that seem to work for most people. Try each and see what works best for you. For the first method, you can just “be”, letting the thoughts flow through your head randomly. If you are a creative thinker who grabs unrelated ideas out of thin air and combines them into new thoughts, this may be your best bet.

On the other hand, you may prefer “planned thinking.” With this method, you list the specific things you want to put your thoughts to, then focus on each item in turn. Some people find it helpful to write the thoughts down as they are coming to you – essentially creating an internal dialogue.

Regardless of the methods you choose or the time you take to do your thinking, it is invaluable to create that time space you need to let your mind wander – and your business grow.

If you’re ready to capture those ideas with your new “time space”, then you need to use the Idea Organization System at OrganizeYourIdeas.com