It has been quite a week. One full of listening, learning, reflection, and action. I want to be clear that there are many, many, many weeks ahead similar to last week. We can’t lose steam. And I’ll continue to write about it.
And, I’ll also continue to write about lighter subjects, like easy ways to give yourself an attitude adjustment; small talk; and running.
Today is a day for a lighter—perhaps even silly—subject.
Today, I want to share a quick and easy method for focusing: play with Silly Putty.
The other day, while I was doing some desktop organization (probably because I was looking for something), I stumbled upon a plastic Easter egg. In it was a little, mint-colored blob of Silly Putty. I’m pretty sure I found this egg at an adult Easter egg hunt years ago, and it has been a fixture on my desk ever since. But I always forgot about it.
Recently, I started playing with the failed rubber substitute while on phone calls, webinars, or kicking some thoughts around in my head. I roll it in between my palms, I pinch it in between my fingers to try and make it into a cube, I roll it into one long noodle and then shape it into something that vaguely resembles a ball of yarn.
I’m a kinesthetic learner—I learn best when I process information while being physically active or engaged—and Silly Putty provides just the right amount of activity to ready my brain for absorbing and interacting with information.
As an added bonus, playing with Silly Putty is great for stress relief. In a 1950 New Yorker article about the stuff, Peter Hodgson, the advertising consultant who made it famous, was quoted as saying, “It means five minutes escape from neurosis…It means not having to worry about Korea or family difficulties.”
Hmm. Maybe this post isn’t so silly after all.