I spent several hours sitting in holiday weekend traffic on my way to the Hamptons recently. Like most people, I had two choices. I could spend the drive getting frustrated about how much time I was losing, or I could use those hours in a way that would actually help my business. I chose the second option.
That drive reminded me of something I’ve noticed for years. Some of my best ideas have never come while I’m sitting at my desk. They usually show up when I’m driving, walking my dogs, sitting on a train, waiting for a flight or taking a break from the constant stream of emails, meetings and notifications that fill the workday.
Most professionals think productivity only happens when they’re actively working on something. We associate productivity with checking things off a to-do list, responding to emails or finishing projects. While those things are important, they aren’t the only work that moves a business forward. Some of the most valuable work happens before we ever open our laptops.
Every week presents unexpected pockets of time. Flights are delayed. Traffic backs up. Meetings start late. You arrive early for an appointment. You’re commuting into the office or waiting to board a plane. Those moments might feel insignificant on their own, but over the course of a year they add up to dozens, if not hundreds, of hours that can either disappear or become surprisingly productive.
I’m not suggesting that every minute of every day needs to be optimized. Downtime has value on its own, and sometimes the best thing you can do is listen to music, enjoy the silence or give your brain a chance to rest. What I am suggesting is that there are opportunities hiding inside those unexpected breaks in your schedule, and they often become some of the most productive moments of the week because you’re finally able to think without constant interruptions.
Over the years, I’ve outlined presentations while driving, developed workshop ideas during long walks and dictated articles into my phone after leaving client meetings. I’ve also come up with entirely new services because I had uninterrupted time to think through what my clients needed and how I could better serve them. None of those ideas came while I was sitting at my desk trying to force creativity between meetings.
Why Your Best Ideas Often Happen Away From Your Desk
If you’ve ever had a great idea in the shower, while exercising or during a long drive, you’re not alone.
The modern workday is filled with interruptions. Emails arrive every few minutes. Teams messages pop up throughout the day. Your phone buzzes. Meetings run into one another. Every time you settle into one task, something else demands your attention. It’s difficult to think creatively when your brain is constantly switching gears.
When those interruptions disappear, even for a short period of time, something changes. Your mind finally has room to process information instead of simply reacting to it. Conversations you’ve had throughout the week begin connecting with one another. A challenge a client mentioned suddenly reminds you of another situation you’ve seen before. An article you read a few days earlier sparks an idea for a presentation or LinkedIn post.
I’ve experienced this countless times. I rarely come up with my best newsletter topics while staring at my inbox. They usually appear when I’m nowhere near my computer. Sometimes I’ll be halfway through a drive when an entire article begins coming together in my head. Other times I’ll realize that three different client conversations are pointing to the same emerging trend, which eventually becomes a webinar or keynote presentation.
That’s one of the reasons I always keep the Notes app open on my phone and use voice dictation whenever I can safely do so. I’ve learned that good ideas don’t wait until it’s convenient. If I don’t capture them immediately, there’s a good chance they’ll disappear before I get back to my desk.
The more I’ve paid attention to when my ideas come to me, the more I’ve realized they have very little to do with where I am physically. They have everything to do with whether I’ve created enough mental space to think beyond the next email or meeting.
Some of my strongest content, my best presentations and even new business ideas have all started as quick voice notes recorded during moments that looked completely unproductive from the outside.
Thinking Is One of the Most Valuable Parts of Your Job
One of the biggest misconceptions about productivity is that it only counts when you’re actively producing something. We tend to measure our days by how many emails we answered, how many meetings we attended or how many items we crossed off a list. Those things matter, but they represent only one part of building a successful business. Some of the highest value work you’ll ever do happens before you touch a keyboard.
- It’s deciding how to position a new service.
- It’s thinking through a client’s challenge before your meeting.
- It’s recognizing a pattern after hearing similar questions from multiple clients.
- It’s connecting ideas that eventually become a presentation, newsletter article or entirely new business opportunity.
I’ve noticed this repeatedly in my own business. I don’t usually develop my best ideas while I’m responding to emails. More often, they come when I’m driving, taking a walk or traveling. Without the constant interruptions of the workday, my mind has the opportunity to slow down and make connections that probably wouldn’t happen otherwise.
That’s one of the reasons I never underestimate the value of uninterrupted thinking time. If an idea comes to me, I dictate it into my phone immediately. Some of those quick voice memos have turned into client programs, keynote presentations, newsletter series and new consulting services. Looking back, many of the ideas that have had the biggest impact on my business started as a few sentences recorded while I was nowhere near my office.
Professionals sometimes feel guilty if they aren’t constantly “doing” something. I’ve found the opposite to be true. Giving yourself permission to think strategically often leads to better decisions, stronger marketing and more creative solutions than spending another hour reacting to whatever lands in your inbox. Thinking isn’t separate from your work. For many professionals, it’s one of the most valuable parts of it.
Four Ways to Make Better Use of Unexpected Downtime
Not every activity makes sense in every situation. If you’re driving, safety always comes first. Hands-free phone calls, voice dictation and listening to podcasts or audiobooks are excellent options. If you’re sitting in an airport, riding the train or waiting for an appointment, you’ll have even more flexibility.
When I find myself with unexpected downtime, I usually use it in one of four ways. Having a simple framework helps me avoid falling into the habit of endlessly checking email or scrolling through social media simply because I have a few extra minutes.
1. Create
One of the easiest ways to use downtime is to create the raw material for future content. You don’t have to write a polished article or record a finished video. Your only job is to capture ideas while they’re fresh.
Some of my favorite LinkedIn posts started as random thoughts during a drive. I’ve outlined keynote presentations while walking my dogs. I’ve dictated entire newsletter articles into my phone while sitting in airport terminals waiting for delayed flights. Those first drafts weren’t perfect, but they gave me something to build on later.
Whenever you have a few uninterrupted minutes, consider using that time to:
- Brainstorm LinkedIn post ideas.
- Dictate a blog article.
- Plan a webinar or presentation.
- Develop new service offerings.
- Organize content ideas into themes.
- Record voice notes for future videos.
One idea often leads to another. A question you hear from one client may become a LinkedIn post, which later turns into a newsletter, a webinar and eventually an article on your website. Capturing those ideas as they come to you makes content creation much easier because you’re no longer starting with a blank page every time you sit down to write.
2. Connect
Business development rarely happens because of one big networking event or a single meeting. More often, it’s built through consistent communication over time. Unexpected downtime is a great opportunity to strengthen relationships that are easy to overlook when your schedule gets busy. A five-minute phone call to check in with a client, congratulate a colleague or reconnect with someone you met at a conference can have a much bigger impact than sending another email. Some ideas include:
- Return phone calls you’ve been meaning to make.
- Check in with current clients.
- Reconnect with referral sources.
- Thank someone who made an introduction.
- Schedule a coffee or lunch.
- Follow up after a conference or speaking engagement.
- Reach out to someone you’ve been meaning to get to know.
One of the biggest mistakes professionals make is treating networking as something separate from their everyday work. Building relationships is part of your work, and small, consistent interactions often lead to meaningful opportunities months or even years later.
3. Learn
There has never been easier access to information than there is today. A commute, flight or long drive can become an opportunity to learn something new without adding another task to your calendar.
I listen to podcasts regularly because they expose me to new ideas, different perspectives and conversations I might not otherwise have. Sometimes I’ll hear one sentence that completely changes how I think about a topic or sparks an idea for a presentation or article. That’s a pretty good return on a 45-minute drive. Downtime is a great opportunity to catch up on:
- Industry podcasts.
- Audiobooks.
- Business interviews.
- Leadership content.
- Marketing and branding discussions.
- AI developments.
- Client webinars.
- Conference recordings.
Learning also helps solve one of the biggest challenges professionals face: coming up with fresh ideas. The more information you consume, the more connections your brain has available when it’s time to create something of your own.
4. Plan
Planning is often the first thing that disappears when work gets busy. We spend our days responding to immediate requests and telling ourselves we’ll think about the bigger picture later. Later rarely comes unless we make time for it. Unexpected downtime creates an opportunity to step back and think strategically about where your business is headed and what deserves your attention next. Even twenty or thirty uninterrupted minutes can help clarify priorities that have been sitting in the back of your mind for weeks. Some questions I like to think through include:
- What content should I create over the next month?
- Which clients or referral sources haven’t I spoken with recently?
- Is there a presentation I should be developing?
- Are there services I should be expanding?
- What’s working well in my marketing?
- What would I like to improve during the next quarter?
- Are there conferences or speaking opportunities I should pursue?
Those aren’t questions that require immediate answers. Simply giving yourself time to think about them often leads to better decisions when you get back to your desk.
Build a System for Capturing Ideas
One of the biggest frustrations people have is coming up with a great idea and then forgetting it before they have time to do anything with it. We’ve all been there. You think of the perfect opening for an article while driving or come up with a great presentation topic while waiting in line, only to realize you can’t remember it a few hours later. I’ve learned that inspiration isn’t the problem. Capturing it is.
That’s why I try to make it as easy as possible to save ideas the moment they happen. I use voice dictation when I’m driving, keep the Notes app on my phone open throughout the day and save articles, screenshots and interesting posts that might spark future content. Your idea library might include:
- A running list of LinkedIn post ideas.
- Questions clients ask repeatedly.
- Webinar concepts.
- Presentation ideas.
- Headlines that come to mind.
- Interesting statistics or research.
- Stories from your own professional experience.
The next time you sit down to create content, you won’t be staring at a blank screen. You’ll already have dozens of ideas waiting for you.
Some of the Best Business Development Happens Between Meetings
When people think about business development, they often picture networking events, client dinners or conferences. Those activities certainly matter, but they’re only part of the picture.
Business development also happens when you’re thinking through a client’s challenge before your next meeting. It happens when you come up with a new service that solves a problem you’ve heard repeatedly. It happens when you outline an article that eventually leads to a speaking engagement or a new client. It happens when you finally make the phone call you’ve been meaning to make to a referral source. Those moments often begin during the quiet periods that many people overlook.
I’ve found that some of the most productive business development activities don’t require sitting at a desk or adding another meeting to my calendar. They simply require being intentional about how I use the time I already have.
That doesn’t mean every unexpected delay has to become a work session. Sometimes the best use of downtime is taking a mental break, listening to music or enjoying a conversation with a friend. There is real value in giving yourself time to recharge.
What I’ve learned is that having options makes all the difference. There are times when rest is exactly what you need, and there are other times when a few uninterrupted minutes become the perfect opportunity to think, create or reconnect with someone in your network.
Start Looking at Downtime Differently
Most of us have more available time than we realize. It’s just scattered throughout our days in small increments. Five minutes before a meeting. Twenty minutes in a waiting room. An hour on a train. A delayed flight. A longer-than-expected commute. Those moments don’t seem significant on their own, but together they represent hours that can be used to learn something new, strengthen a relationship, capture an idea or think more strategically about your business.
I’ve stopped looking at those moments as interruptions. I see them as opportunities to do the kind of work that’s often difficult to fit into a busy schedule. They’re a chance to step away from reacting to the next email and spend time thinking about where I want my business, my marketing and my personal brand to go next.
Some of my favorite articles, presentations and client programs started during those unexpected breaks in the day. Looking back, I’m grateful I didn’t wait until I was sitting at my desk to start working on them.
The next time you find yourself stuck in traffic, waiting for a flight or arriving early for an appointment, ask yourself a simple question: What’s one thing I could do right now that my future self will thank me for? There’s usually something. A call you’ve been meaning to make. A note you’ve been meaning to send. An idea worth writing down before it gets buried under everything else competing for your attention. Those few extra minutes can be enough to move something forward instead of letting it sit on tomorrow’s to-do list.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I stay productive during my commute?
If you’re driving, focus on hands-free activities such as making phone calls, dictating ideas or listening to podcasts and audiobooks. If you’re commuting by train or plane, you can also outline articles, respond to emails, review presentations or plan upcoming projects.
What’s the best way to capture ideas when I’m away from my desk?
Use whatever system you’ll actually use consistently. Voice dictation, the Notes app on your phone, voice memos or even emailing yourself quick ideas can all work well. The important thing is capturing ideas while they’re fresh.
Can downtime really help with business development?
Absolutely. Some of the most valuable business development activities include reconnecting with referral sources, following up with clients, planning presentations, brainstorming content and identifying new opportunities. Many of those activities fit naturally into unexpected downtime.
Why do my best ideas happen when I’m not working?
Your mind has more space to connect ideas when it isn’t constantly responding to emails, meetings and notifications. Many professionals find that creativity comes more naturally during walks, commutes, travel or other periods with fewer distractions.
What should I listen to while commuting?
Choose content that helps you grow professionally or sparks new ideas. Industry podcasts, leadership interviews, audiobooks, business news and conference recordings are all excellent options. Even one useful insight can influence your marketing, your business development efforts or the way you approach client relationships.
How can I use downtime to improve my personal brand?
Downtime is a great opportunity to brainstorm content ideas, outline LinkedIn posts, plan newsletter topics, think through presentations or reconnect with people in your network. Small, consistent efforts often have a much greater impact on your personal brand than trying to do everything at once.
Stay in Touch! Connect with me on LinkedIn, Threads, YouTube, Instagram, sign up for my email list and follow my blog. Obtain a copy of my LinkedIn Secrets guide. Sign up for my personal branding summer school course. Sign up for my LinkedIn Mastermind.