Stay Sharp

This post was originally published on March 29, 2012 on Forbes.com.

When asked "when did you have the 'ah-ha' moment that set your success in motion?" very few entrepreneurs or professionals will answer, "while checking my email at the office."

In an informal survey yesterday, I asked 'Where do you consistently do your best big thinking?' The responses ranged from the shower, to the beach, to 30,000 feet in the air on a cross country flight. But one thing the responses all had in common: the location was unplugged and away from the normal.

But then the question struck me: can those settings be created amidst the craziness of the normal? Can a moment of intentional big thinking occur without rushing to take a shower or booking the next flight headed to San Francisco? The obvious answer is, "it can happen". But making that intention a reality is a whole other thing.

Amy Jo Martin of Digital Royalty might be one of the busiest people on the interwebs. She and her team manage ideas and social strategies for some of the biggest stars (no really, Shaq and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson are huge!) Between leading her ever-growing team and hanging out with her 1.2M Twitter followers, her world spins pretty quickly. In a recent blog post, she shared her version of manufacturing moments to think big. Everyday, she has an 8-minute meeting scheduled just for her to "Ready, Set, Pause" and she says "The return was unmatched.... I now find it’s irresponsible for me to miss a 'Ready, Set, Pause' meeting with myself."