Why You Should Not Neglect Solitary Time

Let’s be clear. Life isn’t a solitary journey. As humans, we need to connect with others. We’re meant to foster healthy relationships with others and live in a community.
In the context of work, we’re meant to collaborate. If we’re going to produce great work, we need to have a spirit of collaboration.
Collaboration is a productivity accelerator; the results we achieve together surpass the sum of the results each of us can achieve individually.
Know this. collaboration is vital to making great work. Even when you’re the one who is center stage, you still need the contribution of a support team.
Although collaboration is essential to your success, it doesn’t mean you always have to be in the presence of others. In fact, even when you’re in close collaboration with others, there comes a time when you need to be by yourself.
Of course, you need “solitary time” (i.e. “me time”) to recharge and refocus; time to meditate and pray. But you also need “solitary time” to think and work.
Sometimes, you must be alone with your work: you and the canvas, or you and the blank page, or you and the plan to be prepared. You and your work, and nothing more. Some parts of your work are simply not done in a committee.
You may have had to strategize, exchange views, plan, hold meetings, and do all sorts of activities with others. But there comes a time when must cut yourself from the world (even if only for a brief moment) and focus on your work.
Focused work demands “solitary time”: a time when you set everything else aside to focus on your work.
Your work requires your full attention, and introducing anyone else in your environment would only distract you and slow you down.
To get in the “zone”, you need complete silence: no distractions; no interruptions. This is easier said than done. But it’s vital to your work that you protect this time jealously, otherwise, others will infringe on your time.
Don’t be afraid to set boundaries and let people know when you’re unavailable because you have to focus on your work. Don’t hesitate to turn off your mobile device for a short time so that your “flow” wouldn’t be broken by your mobile ringing, or flashing, or whatever else it does.
When you neglect to schedule “solitary time” to do the work (or fail to protect that time when you schedule it), you put your work in peril: your work suffers for lack of focused attention. Allocate enough “solitary time” so that you can get your work done — effectively.
