Reclaiming Your Mind’s Playground and The Power of a 20-Minute Creative Recess

Why doing nothing is the work.

This week, I caught myself doing that thing again… scheduling every moment of my day down to the minute, checking off tasks like they were lifelines, and still wondering why I felt disconnected. Not stuck, exactly. Just flat. Don’t get me wrong I love a productivity system, but this ain’t it.

Like my brain was showing up to work, but my imagination hadn’t clocked in.

And then it hit me - I’ve been skipping recess.

Not the kind with kickballs and juice boxes (though honestly, yes please), but the kind my creativity needs. That unstructured, unproductive looking time when I’m allowed to drift. When I stare out the window. When I walk without my headphones. When I let myself not know for a while.

I call it Creative Recess.
And I’ve realized I need it as much as I need my morning coffee. Maybe more.

Here’s the truth I keep coming back to:
Your best ideas don’t arrive when you demand them.
They sneak in when your nervous system exhales.

So many of us, especially the thoughtful, brilliant, multi-hyphenate types, are always on. And we pride ourselves on that. We show up, we get things done, we hold it all.

But creativity? She doesn’t respond to “just checking in” notifications or a notion dashboard. She shows up when we wande, when we forget what time it is. When we make space for the non-linear, the useless, the dreamy, the weird.

The Practice: Creative Recess
This week, I scheduled two 20 minute Creative Recess blocks. No phone, no tasks. Just... being.

One was during a walk where I left my headphones at home. The other was laying on my bed staring at the ceiling, while resting on my neck cervical stretcher (a life saver for my posture).

And believe it or not, that’s when the solution to a client’s creative project puzzle came to me. And that’s when the hook for this very post landed in my lap.

Why it Works
Because our brains need unstructured time to process, to connect, to restore.
Because creativity is not something we squeeze into our lives, it’s something we make room for.

So here’s your Invitation
This week, schedule just one 20 minute Creative Recess.
No goal. No screen. No trying to be brilliant.
Let your mind play. Let it be “wasted.”
That’s where the good stuff hides.

If you try it, I’d love to hear what comes up for you. Reply to this email or share it with a friend who’s been a little too in their head lately.

We’re not machines. We’re magic.
Let’s treat ourselves accordingly.

Your friend,
Angela

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P.S. If you’re building a more creative life but feel stuck in the structure, I offer 1:1 creative coaching and consulting for women leaders, founders, and multi-hyphenates like you. Learn more here → Work With Me