Not-doing in the design process

One of the ways I increase my productivity when designing complex web applications is to not do anything!

Quite a few people will be familiar with the Chinese philosophy of not-doing so I wont elaborate too much but in essence it allows things to happen rather than trying to have to much effect over circumstances, read Lao Tzu if you want to know more.

I have found this method to aid the design process greatly, in that when faced with complex problems it is best to do all the thinking and planning you can and then just to sit back and let the other part of your brain do the rest. Go for a walk or play with the kids and most importantly do nothing towards the project.

It can be quite difficult to stop the mind from trying to solve the problems analytically but after a while you will get better at it and then PING the answers you were looking just appear in your head fully formed and beautifully solved. When I am at work and I need to access this kind of mental state I go for a walk around the beautiful Sussex Downs countryside that surrounds the Sussex innovation centre.

Give it a go. Oh and to make the whole process easier take up Tai Chi