September Question of the Month - Join the conversation and receive a badge

Rebeca S.

Community, you always do such a fantastic job with these questions!

Last month, we loved learning how some of you explain Smartsheet to the children in your life, and reading the many ingenious descriptions everyone came up with. Comparing it to Legos, Minecraft, magic notebooks, the classroom, and a friendly wizard were some of our favorites.

Ready for September’s question? Here’s your new chance to earn badges and points while getting to know your peers.

When and where do you feel your mind works the best?

We’re all different — some of you might feel brilliant first thing in the morning at the office, while others might get their best ideas at night at home. What's the unique combination of time and place that makes your mind thrive? Let us know in the comments below. ⬇️

About Question of the Month:

We kick off each month with a new question. These monthly ice breakers are just one way to help you get to know your Smartsheet peers and rack up some badges and points in the process.

Everyone who participates by answering the question prior to the end of the month will automatically receive a unique participant badge once the question closes at the end of the month.

In addition to the participant badge, the top three answers based on Community member votes will receive the Top Answer badge. To vote on an answer click on the upvote icon associated with an answer in the comments below. Multiple votes allowed and encouraged!

RebSchr

My mind definitely works best in the mornings. I start the day fresh and with a clear mind. By the afternoons, I can get a little side-tracked.

If I really want a moment to clear my mind all together - I have tried those "Floats" where you are in a pool of saltwater with no sound and absolute darkness. It's like turning the world off for a few minutes. I know it is not for everyone, but let me tell you, checking out for an hour really clears my mind and resets my way of thinking.

Will Duplex

I feel that my mind works best when I'm excited and passionate about what I'm working on. That level of engagement and excitement really allows me to dial in so I can make an impact in what I'm working on. I love my WFH setup and when I have all my monitors connected and all of my familiar tabs/programs are open for the day, I feel ready to rock and roll!

I also brew my own cold brew coffee over a week-long period and keep a couple pints in the fridge. I source the beans from local coffee shops in the towns/cities that I visit and look for new flavor profiles that might be interesting. So if I've got a fresh cup of my cold brew in close reach, that only adds to the experience and keeps my mind sharp - if not a bit jittery too 😄

Sing C

I find my mind works most effectively when I'm intentional about giving it "room to breathe". Being mindful (no punt intended) of having brain breaks gives me the best chance to be creative. A walk out into my garden between minutes and taking in fresh air and physically stepping away from and out of my home office is super helpful.

When cognitive load is heavy, it's difficult to "come up for air" so being deliberate about scheduling short breaks (5-10 mins) and even power naps can give you a good reset to be creative.

Isis Taylor

My mind works best first thing in the morning, and between 5-8pm. First thing in the morning because I can implement problems I solved over night as my mind is always active "in the background". After 5pm works because I can actually focus and work through process I have been thinking about during the day. During the heat of the work day, there are far too many mental distractions for me to think clearly. A quick walk usually helps though.

JenniferTorres

I do some of my best thinking in the shower. No idea why…

Heather_Verde

My mind works best when it's quiet at home. I go in to the office, but there's either too many people or to much interaction for my mind to actually do deep thinking. I would say usually late afternoon or evenings when I have come home from the office. That's when I'm able to focus and really get work done or catch up on passion projects.

Leroy Noriega

My mind best works when I'm doing an activity of some sort, I like to disengage from the problem and the answer flows right in.

T C

When mid-morning hits, I am at my prime. No matter how much sleep I have gotten, I am good to go when mid-morning comes. Most of yesterday’s challenges are in front of you and the major events of the day should be able to be prioritized.

Protonsponge

I have to agree with @JenniferTorres, shower time is where I do my best thinking. Once the shower glass steams up, it's a never-ending canvas to draw out ideas, much like an adult etch-a-sketch. For me, the lack of digital distractions in the shower creates the perfect mental space for uninterrupted thinking and problem-solving.

ymckern

Good question. I feel like I gain ideas from something, but the actual brewing of the ideas comes when I'm not working on it, it seems. I might be outside working in the yard and my mind is thinking about designing something for work or enhancing something I'm working on at home or work. Most often those times of the day are anywhere before supper and probably, truthfully, any time after bedtime. :) So, my best thinking is any time between bed time the night before (9pm/10pm) and supper time (5pm/6pm) that day. Then all I do is anticipate putting my thoughts into action and if it is a weekend and I'm not going to do any of that type of work (work or home), then I have to write down some thoughts or they just keep building.

Monique Odom-Stearn

This one is kind of tough for me. I don't feel like I have a specific time or place - sometimes I'm on a roll first thing in the morning, and sometimes evenings are my prime. The one consistency, though, is that a good brainstorming session, being able to talk workflows and smartsheet intricacies with others, absolutely lights a fire in my brain.

Matt Lynn-PCG

Part of me wants to say a specific time of the day such as mid-morning (definitely not early morning); but my wife might argue that based on the days I can't pull myself away from solving that next big issue, causing me to be late for supper, that it fires too well in the evening too. So for me it's less about the time and more about the challenge. I have spent too many nights of my career laying awake running IF() statements in my head because I couldn't shut it down so sometimes 2am is the same as 10am, unfortunately. Location is whole other thing though! If I feel trapped to my desk day after day, I start losing it. My family and I like to travel, last year we traveled the country for four months in our RV. I had meetings on the beach in the Key's and also in Yellowstone waiting for "old faithful" to show up. Having the ability in this technical SAAS age to take advantage of remote work, is a game changer for me. Sometimes getting that early morning brain awake is encouragement to reward myself later that day with some new travel based destination.

Stefan

Hmm, over the years I found early morning, or early evening (between 8 and 10 pm) the best time to get things done and sometimes solve a puzzle. I don't know if that's because there are less distractions at those times or whatever reason.

But I agree absolutely to others here, that my mind/brain works best in cooperation with others on the same track. Kind of passing the ball all the time :-)

Greetings

Stefan

Shanky Paul

I feel my mind works best when I’m in a comfortable, quiet space with minimal distractions. It helps me stay focused and productive, allowing ideas to flow naturally.

Tamara O.

The unique combination of time and place for me is pretty mundane - it's my home office between 8:30 am and 2:00 pm. After 2:00 my efforts are best spent on discussions and meetings, but the mornings and right after lunch are when I am able to best organize my thoughts for strategic work and also when I typically feel my most creative for when a PowerPoint deck needs a little extra pizzazz or I need to brainstorm new ways of looking at a question or problem. It helps a lot if I have one of the many ambient YouTube tracks on in the background that are designed for focus or productivity!