Try this on for size.

Carl Honore’s article “In Praise of Slow Thinking” (Huffington Post, October 23, 2009).

Google allows their employees to devote 20 percent of their time to personal projects.

For this reason:

“Slow Thinking is intuitive, woolly and creative. It is what we do when the pressure is off, and there is time to let ideas simmer on the back burner. It yields rich, nuanced insights and sometimes surprising breakthroughs….

“The greatest thinkers in history certainly knew the value of shifting into a lower gear. Milan Kundera talked about ‘the wisdom of slowness.’ Albert Einstein spent hours just staring into space in his office at Princeton University. Charles Darwin described himself as a ‘slow thinker.’

“You don’t have to work for Google, or any of the other firms encouraging staff to pursue personal projects on company time, to use slowness to unlock your creativity. Anyone can do it….”

“Start by clearing space in your schedule for rest, daydreaming and serendipity. Take breaks away from your desk, especially when you get stuck on a problem. Go for a walk or a run. Find time to meditate, do yoga or just watch the clouds drifting by overhead. Play with toys and games to limber up the creative muscles.

“The secret is to relax and let the mind drift. You’ll be amazed by where it takes you.”

My best ideas come when I’m doing “nothing.”  Do you find the same?