If you're not thinking, you're reacting.

Often, the excuse is, I'm too busy. "I can't add more time to my schedule to just sit back in my chair, and think. Are you nuts? I have shit to do." Sound familiar? I've been there too!

But let me offer another perspective.

Just because you're busy doesn't mean you're busy working on the right things. Being busy is neither good nor bad. What matters is if you're focused on the few things that matter the most, and thinking about those things takes a dedicated time commitment (not when you're falling asleep in bed).

Kim Scott wrote in Radical Candor,

"An enormously successful newspaper executive recounted walking into his CEO's office and seeing him leaning back in his chair just staring out at the sky. When he asked the CEO what he was daydreaming about, it turned out to be the idea that pivoted the company for the next decade."

You are no different. You need to schedule a weekly think time session; here's how.

Step 1: Schedule a 90-minute weekly think time block on your calendar.

This time is non-negotiable.

It's when you're investing time to think about your highest-value topics, whether solving a significant constraint or pursuing a massive opportunity.

A simple hack: I use Reclaim.io to find the best day and time and auto-schedule this block.

Step 2: Decide on the core question or topic.

Now, you must ask yourself, "What is the biggest constraint I'm trying to solve?"

This is your broad question or topic, so you have a Think Time focal point.

You should decide on this topic three days in advance to prime your subconscious and make fleeting notes throughout your day.

Step 3: Improve your topic with a challenge statement.

A challenge statement starts with "How can we..."

Here are some examples of simple challenge statements:

• How can we improve customer churn?

• How can we hire better people?

• How can we improve cash flow?

Step 4: Rewrite your challenge statement with five unique variations.

Next, you'll rewrite your challenge statement in five different ways to force yourself to think from various perspectives.

This will help you spot second-order consequences and get to the real issues.

If you need a list of great questions, read Invisible Solutions.

Step 5: Answer each question in a brain dump session

For 30-45 minutes, you will write as many ideas as you can, answering each question.

You might come up with some ideas that fall outside of the questions, and that's great. Write down anything that comes to mind.

No filtering.

Step 6: Conduct a Sweet Spot analysis.

Look down your idea list and write LH next to any Low Hanging idea — these are ideas that are quick, easy to execute and require minimal money.

Next, go down the list again and write HR — ideas that will have a considerable impact.

Finally, review your list and look for ideas that are both Low Hanging and a Home Run. 

These are your sweet spots.

Step 7: Choose 3 ideas to execute.

The final step is to do something with your ideas.

If all you do is dream, you're a dreamer. Be a doer. Schedule your three ideas into your project or task management software tool and get to work.

When you give yourself time to think and not be bothered by the whirlwind of the day, magical things happen.

Need help thinking through significant company constraints? I've got you covered here.