How ‘focused distraction’ can lead to greater creativity and when the best way to give advice, is to not give advice

3 minute read

Friday Thoughts & Learnings

This week Michael Roberto shows me how ‘focused distraction’ can lead to greater creativity and when the best way to give advice, is to not give advice. 

How a ‘focused distraction’ helps you be more creative

Hands up if you’ve been in a job where you’ve been told you need to find ways to do more work in less time? 

For many of us working age adults who ride the treadmill of working life, it’s part of the employment game for our targets to increase each year.  We either have to achieve more with the same resources or our resources are cut, and we have to find ways to get the same amount of work done. 

Whatever the reason, we often are asked to get more done. The commonly held view is that distraction is one of the prime enemies of human productivity.  So, to get more done, we need hunt down and kill any distractions that take us off task. Right?

Not so fast reckons Michael Roberto in his book Unlocking Creativity: How to solve any problem and make the best decisions by shifting creative mindsets He argues that where your output relies heavily on your creativity, such as solving a problem you’ve not seen before, there is a limit to how productive you can be before you need to recharge.

It takes considerable energy and focus to be creative, so breaks are essential to keep up your ‘productivity’, particularly where you hit a roadblock. The brain is an excellent energy conservation unit, and where there’s a heavy drain on its available energy, it slows down to keep the rest of the body functioning.

According to Roberto, when you’re doing creative work, the most productive recovery strategy is focused distractions.

Focused distractions are where you take a pause on the creative work you’re focused on and allow your subconscious mind to get some deep work done. It’s a distraction from your main task in that you stop consciously working on it, but it’s focused and productive because it keeps your subconscious ticking over.

Have you ever had an idea flash into your mind while exercising, or talking with a friend or colleague?  That’s what this is all about. It’s thinking without thinking.

When you next hit a roadblock working on a creative task, try these focused distractions to help you recharge and find inspiration:

• Walk and talk – take a walk in a park with a friend or colleague.  Ask them to be your listening partner. No advice just listening to what you have to say.  The act of talking can create shifts and connections in you thinking that being silent can’t achieve.

• Get a pump on – go for a run, take an exercise class or hit the gym.  Increasing blood flow to your brain recharges it allowing you to come back to your creative task refreshed.  Some of best ideas have come riding a bike or at the gym.

• Active meditation – reducing the noise buzz in your mind is like hitting the reset button on the computer.  I’ve taken to using a Shakti matt to meditate.  I often find I fall asleep trying to meditate and this ‘small bed of nails’ keeps me awake and gives a crazy good massage at the same time.

• Creative switch – when you’re in the creative zone of thinking, it often helps to take a break from one creative task and shift to another.  Like playing a musical instrument, drawing or creating art on the computer. I find a 10-minute creative switch is enough to recharge and refocus.

When the best way to give advice, is not to give advice

I have many roles like most of us. I’m a father, loving partner, entrepreneur, board member and mentor.  I’m often asked for my advice and am happy to share it.

Recently I’ve rethought how to give advice, especially when it involves sharing it with someone who feels vulnerable and overwhelmed by the problems they are facing.

An alternative way of giving advice is to use a technique called “narrative sharing”.

“Advice should always feel like a gift to the receiver to do with as they please, without fear of any negative repercussions.”

It involves responding to someone's challenge or problem by sharing a personal story or experience without explicitly giving direct advice. The “share” can be related to the challenge or problem or a feeling or emotion that comes up that’s relevant.

The important part of narrative sharing is that there are no “you should’s or what I would do’s” in what you say.  It has to be focused on you, the story sharer. 

The power in this approach is it allows the person listening to what you have to say to draw their own insights and advice from the narrative. 

They aren’t forced into a situation of accepting or rejecting something that’s offered directly to them as advice. They get to pick and choose what they want and not have to justify it. All they have to say is ‘thanks for sharing’. 

Image generated by Leonardo.Ai

Everyone values their freedom of choice.  And when you feel vulnerable you are particularly sensitive to being told what to.

Many of our troubles are when we feel we lack choice and adding more onto this shit pile by getting ‘advice’ from others they feel they have to take or risk disappointing the advice giver is not helpful. 

Advice should always feel like a gift to the receiver to do with what they please without fear of any negative repercussions.

“Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”

This technique is rooted in the belief that individuals better internalise advice and find solutions when they discover them through personal reflection.

By offering a related experience, you create a space for the person to connect with the story, relate it to their own situation, and draw parallels that guide them toward a solution or decision.

I’ve found it a more subtle and empowering way to provide guidance, allowing the listener to extract relevant lessons or perspectives from the shared story.

I’ve learned to let go of wanting others to follow my advice, and instead offering my experiences like a gift bowl of fruit to someone who says they are hungry.

It’s how I now give advice, by not giving advice.

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