Albert Einstein liked to be lazy for a few hours. He imagined that he was sailing on a wave of light at speed, and for him, the wave seemed frozen, which eventually led him to create the famous theory of relativity. Charles Darwin practiced this method and used his so-called “path of thought” to immerse himself in his own thoughts and reflect.
Albert Einstein had many thought experiments. For example, to his theory of general relativity, he conducted imaginary experiments that consist of a person falling off the roof and accelerating the elevators. His best-known theories, which laid the foundations of modern physics, were only part of his imagination. We can follow Einstein’s example and conduct experiments using our own imagination.
Let your mind wander
Take the time to stop, think and analyze where you are alive, understand if you are satisfied with your goals and identify what your plans are. It can make you more productive when you’re forced to deal with non-standard situations or come up with creative ideas.
Ask yourself questions
For some people, spending 2 hours on Facebook seems normal, but dedicating 2 hours a day to meditation is a little too much. If you agree with this notion, this can help you. You can take a pen and a piece of paper and answer a few questions such as, “What goals do I have or haven’t achieved?”, “Can I speed up my goals?“, “Do I feel inspired?” or “Where will I see myself in the next 6 months?”
Go for a walk and enjoy nature
A walk in the park is a great way to think in detail about things we usually didn’t find time to do. According to research, spending time in nature is also excellent for mental health, increases creativity and stimulates the ability to solve problems.
Write yourself a letter
It is an excellent tool for introspection, because you can have the opportunity to observe your own thoughts and feelings (both as a narrator and as a listener), to draw new conclusions that are not obvious and to look at the past and the future. Research at Northwestern University has shown that writing thoughts about the distant future is much more useful than not writing them down.