Strategic Wandering
Every once in a while, the best thing you can do for your work… is to stop working.
Recently, I carved out nearly two full days to meet up with a longtime friend and collaborator - someone I’ve known and trusted for over 15 years. There was no strict agenda, no client deliverables, no looming deadline. Just time. Time to think, to talk, to sketch wildly impractical ideas on napkins, to trace our most ambitious dreams back to their simplest forms - and then forward again, into future plans.
We called it “brainstorming,” but it was also daydreaming. Scheming. Strategizing. Wandering (literally and mentally). Over the course of two days, we floated between coffee shops, smoothie spots, restaurants, and bars - benefiting from the change in location as well as the shift in mood, energy, and perspective..
We talked shop. A lot. About process, tools, clients, creative blocks, time management, pricing strategies, software quirks, industry trends, and where things are heading. But we also talked about life, travel, and relationships. We talked about the architecture of our personal goals, about the people who’ve shaped us, and the ones we want to shape things for.
And that’s the beauty of working with someone you trust - the line between personal and professional isn’t just blurred, it’s irrelevant. Some of the most valuable ideas surfaced in the middle of casual conversation. Others emerged mid-sentence, halfway through a cocktail, triggered by a comment that wasn’t even about work.
We didn’t rush. We let ideas breathe. And when a particular topic started to run out of steam, we simply changed the scenery - and let the next place inspire the next wave of conversation.
We took notes, snapped photos of our food and drinks (yes, the cocktails were worth documenting).
Not every meeting needs to be in a boardroom. Not every brainstorm session needs to involve a whiteboard. Sometimes, the best ideas come when you’re deep in conversation with someone who speaks your creative language - with a well-made drink in hand and no PowerPoint in sight.