Meditation as a design tool

Meditation is a very interesting subject. You sit there, close your eyes and pay attention to your breath. Easier said than done. A few weeks ago, while I was fighting my crazy mind, trying to bring my attention back to the breath, one thought appeared in my head: what if, instead of fighting to bring my attention back to the breath, I guide it towards something I want spend my mental energies on? And that’s how I discovered that meditation is an incredible design and problem solving tool.

Instead of wasting hours browsing the internet looking for a solution or an idea, I sit in my room, close my eyes and simply think about the problem. It’s an incredibly useful exercise and more often than not, I come up with solutions faster that I’d do by browsing randomly the internet. Especially because there’s no twitter or facebook or any other possible distraction on the meditation cushion. It’s just you and the problem you’re trying to solve.

Plus it’s a relaxing exercise, and that’s always a good thing.