Embrace silence - it will help you think better



I am juggling a number of projects at the moment, and it takes me forever to fall asleep at  night. This has been going on for a couple of months now. My mind seems to fly in a thousand different directions at once. I suddenly remember emails that I have to send, or notes that I need to make ahead of a meeting the next day. My bedtime reading ritual has been replaced by scrolling my phone screen to check my emails one last time before I snooze.

No matter how much I try, I am unable to switch off the noise in my head. There is always something that pops up in my mind that I need to check before I sleep. Last week as I dashed to the emergency room, after suffering a severe lower back muscle spasm, and found myself checking my email as I waited for the doctor, I asked myself: “How did I end up here?”  And then I realised, that something had changed. My phone had become the last thing I checked before I went to sleep, and the first thing I grabbed when I opened my eyes in the morning. In some instances, I was reaching for it when my eyes were still shut.

The fact that Skype was always turned on - in addition to my social media channels - and all six of my email addresses were logged in on my phone, played a huge part in encouraging me to constantly check them. On top of that, I carried two portable chargers, a notebook, and was always on the phone with a vendor, a client, or my team. Plus I always had some background music on when I was working, and the radio turned on in my car.

The doctor told me to stop working at a desk and stop exercising for a week until my lower back healed. Since then, I have not been driving my car, going to CrossFit to work out or even meeting up with my friends. I also do not like working from my bed, so the level of work that I engage in significantly reduced. And suddenly life became very quiet, and I realised how much I missed that, and missed hearing my own voice.

If you stop for a second, you will notice the amount of noise we consume on a daily basis is incredible. More than half of what pops up on our Twitter feed is irrelevant, and Instagram’s popular feed is not so different either.

To reduce the amount of noise in our lives, whether sounds or mental clutter, takes determination. Learning to prioritise the different types of noise and eliminating anything that is not beneficial is a step in the right direction.

I have started with my Twitter and Instagram accounts, and now only follow accounts that are relevant to me. The same applies to the blogs and news websites I follow. Instead of checking them throughout the day, I dedicate some time for them in the morning.

It is hard to detach completely and disciplining oneself is probably one of the hardest things to do, but I have taken small steps in the right direction. For instance, my phone does not accompany me to the dining table, and when I am out with friends, it stays in my handbag. I try to not turn on the radio in the morning especially during early drives, and I allow my mind to relax and be present in the moment. As a result, I am calm and my mind is able to think more creatively.

As we run our businesses and go about our daily routine, we can easily get distracted by other influences - something that could deter us from thinking creatively and hearing our own thoughts. Switching off the noise every once in a while is not only good for our health, but our businesses too.

Manar Al Hinai is an award-winning Emirati writer who manages her branding and marketing consultancy in Abu Dhabi. Twitter: @manar_alhinai

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm

Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm

Transmission: 6-speed auto

Price: from Dh155,000

On sale: now

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlmouneer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dr%20Noha%20Khater%20and%20Rania%20Kadry%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEgypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E120%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%2C%20with%20support%20from%20Insead%20and%20Egyptian%20government%2C%20seed%20round%20of%20%3Cbr%3E%243.6%20million%20led%20by%20Global%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
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Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)

Cricket World Cup League 2

UAE squad

Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind

Fixtures

Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE

Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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