Do You Need Quiet Time?

I enjoy participating in CR4 but restrict it to 4 sessions and not to exceed 1 hour each session. Its a great social network based on engineering problems... most of the time. Lots of humor. I suspect some CR4ers spend more time.

I am retired so anything that is a distraction works for me. I read a lot. I do plan to build a greenhouse next year and try my hand at something different. I have started fishing again but I am supposed to wait till I am 65 (this year) so I do not need a license. As I cannot drive I walk a lot for health reasons (about 10K/day). Before I retired and could drive I managed elite soccer teams. I hadn't grown up playing soccer but got to really appreciate the game. This was a very rewarding distraction from work. When I worked at the business I started, I hated quiet time and did lots of active things. I was worried other employees might be too quiet and needed to set an example.

"... Our brains need quiet periods to process the information that they absorb at other times ..." It is considered that during our sleep (deep REM sleep) our brains absorb the information that was received during the daytime and it is a fundamental stage of "learning" things.

I think it is essential for our mental/psychic balance to have some short periods of relaxation, although usually there is no time for such a thing in our daily, crazy way of living. Some trips in the nature or spending some time looking at a nice view are nice "remedy". Also, the physical exercise is a good way to "empty" your mind (and keep yourself fit and healthy).

Isn't this exactly what most religions/belief systems advocate? I'm not saying anyone has to believe all of their dogmas/instructions/holy books, but that doesn't mean everything they say is wrong.

Keeping the Sabbath holy, praying, meditating, tantric flying...all these "unplug" us from 21st life. Perhaps there are a few things we could all learn from these sources.

I don't do enough of any of it, and it shows. I found swimming to be a good way to start the day - my mind was free of any pressing worries or urgent inputs and my body got exercise.

In the meantime, cuddling the cat (Del, c'm here) is a good substitute!

It is all about the seriousness and involvement to the situations, problems or thoughts on hand. Minds which are more willful about getting problems solved or reaching conclusions/ resolutions never allow the person to get diverted or find routes for relaxing or avoiding the stress[ creative or problem solving].

Perhaps a scopeful idea or signs of solutions are the only means which can rather allow someone[ the bruder] to sleep or settle with peace.

Brain can store unlimited data, retrivel and can be engaged for all complex activities. It is all about how one practice brain storming.

To think well, solitude / loneliness foster condusive atmosphere.

Balance (moderation in all things) and variety are the keys for me. Mental activity, physical activity, and rest must alternate regularly. Too much or too little of any one is bad.

I like an afternoon nap, but commonly don't get around to it (I just want to finish ... first). I hate exercise that gets nothing accomplished; I prefer cutting firewood, gardening, building stuff, etc. I also dislike many forms of rest; a day at the beach is my idea of pure boredom. If I'm resting, and not asleep, then I'm thinking. Apparently, I'm also thinking while I am asleep, as I commonly wake up with the solution to a problem.

On the other hand, with maturity, I have come to realize that different people's brains work in mysteriously different ways. I finally believe my wife when I ask her what she is thinking about, and she says 'nothing'. That does not happen with my brain. If I try to think about nothing, then I'm thinking about how to think about nothing! I need aids to help me visualize much graphic information (maps, drawings, etc.). Apparently some people do fine without those aids, and other people find they don't understand that information even with the aids...

If different people's brains work in such different ways, then it stands to reason that other parts of their bodies also work in very different ways. Understanding this has led me to become much more tolerant of variations between myself and others!

Don't worry... it's not happening with her's either. A vacant mind is an oxymoron. As explained in another thread, mind is always going... quiet time means no outward influences -- not slower process.

As far as your body behaving differently... "different" just means variation. If we totally understood the working of the body, we would call the differences "variations on a theme." With limited knowledge we call it "differences."

I own a small automated printing business. Because it is a small business I have to do the bookkeeping, handle the customers, deal with Uncle Sam, manage employees, meet deadlines, maintain and build equipment, collect on accounts and pay the bills. This means that when I am at work, and much of the time when I am not, my mind is racing to keep up with the tasks I must manage and dispense. I find it is absolutely imperative that I find some time away from these things each day. It can be difficult to make that happen, because there is ALWAYS something that "needs" doing. Exercise is a good inroad because it usually separates me from the work environment as well as releasing endorphins which soothe the stress. Another thing which helps is to use some of my problem solving skills on non-work related matters. I like to play quiet, immersive puzzle solving games, like the Rhem series, which allows me to use these skills in a pressureless environment. Other folks might do the same thing, while tinkering and puttering with mechanical hobbies, which I myself do from time to time. As has been said here, minds do not idle well, but relieving the stress and pressure is what enables them to relax and cope, even if the thinking does not stop. On a side note, I do some of my most productive thinking while on the exercise bike. Don't know if it is the blood flow or what, but it works. -Illya

My hubby and I have a golden rule - when walking on the beach nothing but nature is admired and discussed ... all the family and/or work related issues are forgotten and forbidden to be talked about ... it is nice to look at the cloud formations, footprints in the sand, wave patterns; listening to the sound of the roaring Lake Huron is music to my hears; testing the temperature of the water is crucial to determine if warm enough to go in; the lake is fascinating in all seasons, even in the winter when dunes are built or ice melting is finally happening ... this unique time may be happening any time of the day, and may last an hour or more … resolving or facing the everyday life challenges is definitively easier after the walks at the lake. - Jaan

My very best time of day is when I get home from my job and can go to work.

At work I'm troubled with other people's ideas and demands. (not that they're all bad)

At home I get twice the work done in half the time, and enjoy it twice as much. And some of my most explosive ideas have come while resting on that great white porcelain chair. (the one with the handy round note pad next to it)

At work and home my job is both physically and mentally challenging, but it's fun to stand and ponder the situation in a sweat soaked shirt and calculator in hand.

Quiet time? I get it in front of a computer in my office in my house,any one of five. I only have two at work.

Stub

Downtime isn't just time that isn't allocated for something specific or where we simply, mindlessly "veg out". It should be a planned time of activity that brings a sense of satisfaction and refreshment to us. That doesn't mean we do those activities in planned time increments but we plan for them to happen.Otherwise it may make us feel worse because we are being undisciplined with our time. We may know that we should be doing something productive but because we are undisciplined with the time we have we end up hurting our own sense of worth and our ability to function at a higher level when we get back to our obligations that pay the bills.

Something else to think about it is what that downtime is providing for us. Is it helping us to think more productively, is it good for us physically, is it helping me in my purpose/mission in life? Our subconscious thinking is always on duty and we are either feeding it bad information or good information to act on.

What are you feeding your "elephant"? Book The Ant and the Elephant.

I have to disagree to some extent...

I'm very happy to be in a position where I work at my own pace, and pretty much take breaks whenever it is convenient for me, rather than at scheduled times. Very commonly this means long periods with no breaks whatsoever, since a break would interrupt my train of thought. On the other hand, if I get sleepy, I commonly go take a nap or a walk, and afterward my productivity goes way up! I have no problem of feeling undisciplined, because I know that I'm doing productive work a significantly higher percentage of the time than would be the case if I had to do everything at planned times.

You're right about breaks as needed. My guess is that those are times in which you see the need for refreshment in order to be the most productive and they are for a purpose. They aren't just times of not doing anything because you don't want to be working on anything.

It is said that Thomas Edison or Henry Ford could be working on a project and they would maybe sleep/rest for an hour or so in a day. That was because they were focused on what they wanted/needed to accomplish. People who have a purpose and know what they are working towards will always be more energetic and productive than those who are just putting in time and have no attachment to the project. Even with a project those kind of hours invested in the project for a relatively short period of time before one's level of productivity starts slipping and some refreshment time is needed.

yeah,i abosolutely agree with you,i need quiet time when i am tired to refresh