The outside world as an inspiration, not a distraction

Just before the pandemic struck I met an old friend for coffee in Wardour Street, Soho. We had a great conversation, sharing stories about our work habits. He’s based in the heart of Soho, so I said to him, I bet you’re often out for coffee with colleagues and contacts. And he said no, he was too busy. He’d pop out to grab some lunch, that was about it.

When he got back to his desk he sent me a message saying he’d enjoyed our catch up. He noted he needed to do that more often – that it was too easy to get stuck behind his desk and see the outside world as a distraction rather than as a source of inspiration. I liked that. So I wrote it on a coffee cup. And took a picture of it.

So remember, there’s this wonderful resource available to us all for inspiration and innovation - the outside world. I love being curious in my work life. Just walking around and noticing things, can be really enriching.