As you’ve either experienced or heard, this whole baby-raising thing is often coupled with a severe change in your sleeping habits. You’re up at odd hours of the night, sleeping at every chance you can, even if it is 7 p.m. at night. As you yearn for just a little shut-eye, you do ANYTHING to get your baby quiet and sleeping. 

For Mason and me, it’s been spending a little time in the glider chair and rocking him to sleep as the decibels of his wailing move from a glass-shattering level down to a lowly purr. 

With hands full and my back postured specifically to keep his head at his optimal comfort level, there’s not a lot else I can do but just rock and hold. 

Predictably, with all this time to simply think, I’ve had some pretty out-there thoughts. Thoughts that would have never been thought unless forced into such a state of inactivity. 

Which underscores the importance of downtime for our business brains. We all give it lip service, but when it really comes down to it, we rarely follow through with allowing ourselves some downtime. 

Time to think with a fresh head. Time to think without borders. Time to wonder. 

I’m not talking about retreats or brainstorming here. That’s not downtime. That’s time set aside for a specfic reason. While it can be productive, it can still be restrictive. 

No, I’m talking about road-trip-on-your-own downtime. I’m talking sitting-on-a-plane-without-an-iPod-or-newspaper-or-magazine downtime. I’m talking one-step-above-brain-dead downtime. 

We never elect to make time for this type of (non-) activity because it feels so unproductive on the surface. So it only happens when we have no other choice. 

But it’s so necessary. 

So do this: figure out what scenario has to take place for you to have this kind of downtime, and make it happen. And if necessary, have a baby. 

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So, as of December 6, 2008, I am a daddy. My son, Mason Merrick Duncan, was born at 3:43 pm on that day, and things have been a ‘changin’ ever since. And it’s been great. 

Predictably, the blogging marketer in me can’t help but harvest some timeless lessons learned in caring for this new human that easily transfer into sound principles to ponder in the business world. Baby Lessons will be the collection of these ideas. Enjoy. 

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