Fretting and mulling

In a recent South African survey, CEO’s were asked what keeps them awake at night. None of them came up with anything related to work. All fretted about issues with crime. The safety of their families and of themselves kept their minds active, even when they hit the pillow. Scientists say that this fretting is not conductive to creativity. We need to sleep soundly since at night our mind is a creative powerhouse. During the day our brains are in a state of permanent alertness, responding to a flow of challenges. Checking e-mail, writing a business report, looking for the car keyes, deciding what to eat for dinner to name a few.

But when we sleep the brain relaxes and starts weaving together bits of information in an innovative way. Non-obvious connections of thoughts, experiences and memories pop up. Remember the song ‘Yesterday’? Paul McCartney said he awoke with the tune in his mind. Science suggests it might very well be true and not a marketing tale. How can we awaken this genius inside ourselves? If you are short of time: go to bed early and get up early. Studies show that flashes of inspiration occur in the first half of the night. Before going to bed, direct your creative power: mull over the problem you want to solve. Mulling, and not fretting!

What phenomenal idea did a good night’s sleep reveal to you?

Do you think women around the world fret over different issues?