The most successful people I know spend time to think. Like us, they are busy, have families and responsibilities, so they have to find ways to force thinking time into their schedule. Why? They know success is tied to thinking and action. Action can be easy, but thinking about what action to take, now that is the key. As one person suggested to me on thinking time, if you are not thinking you are not leading, you are only following. And followers are average. My son David in his "thinking time"[/featured-image]Click to ListenWhy You Need a Thinking Time"Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in." -- Alan AldaWith all the inputs coming at you on a daily basis, you need time to process the information and do something active. Your ability to think and reason is what makes you different from a robot. Robots just respond to commands and stimuli.  Don't be a robot - THINK."Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking." -- Albert EinsteinThinking HintsSchedule a regular thinking timeFind a place to thinkPut away distractionsUse tools that help you be more creativeMindmaps (I like Xmind for a software version)Paper and pen (bank paper - not ruled)WhiteboardSet a wrap-up timeProcess the thoughts into something that capturesSave documents, mindmaps, etc.Put in calendar or scheduleMake notes - like a journal - of the key thoughtsDownload my "Getting Started" guide to help you have more productive thinking times.Subscription LinksIf you have enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to it on iTunes. To subscribe, go to iTunes and hit subscribe! You may have to click the button that says, “OPEN IN ITUNES.” You can also find Company of One on Stitcher.Your FeedbackIf you have an idea for a podcast you would like to see or a question about an upcoming episode, e-mail me.Also, if you enjoyed the show, please rate it on iTunes and write a brief review. That would help tremendously in getting the word out! Thanks.[reminder]What do you do to have a productive thinking time? [/reminder]