This post is inspired by the post titled – God is in the Gaps on the Gapinvoid blog. The blog explores the Japanese concept of “Ma,” which emphasizes the significance of gaps, spaces, and pauses in art, music, and design, illustrating how absence can create meaning and beauty.
It draws parallels between Eastern and Western philosophies, citing examples from Buddhism, Japanese calligraphy, Beethoven’s music, Hemingway’s writing, and Jony Ive’s minimalist design—showing that what is left unsaid or unfilled holds essential value.
I believe that the same holds true in our lives as well. The empty spaces in our calendars when we daydream or the walks that we take to a park just to soak in the beauty inherent in the nature or the time we spend sitting alone, away from any screens or technology, purely immersed in our thoughts enable everything else we do.
The big ideas, the breakthroughs and the life altering insights arrive when we are in these states rather than when we are desperately trying to be productive and complete yet another task or end yet another meeting.
The meetings and the tasks are important but they are the things we do to support the insights we get in the gaps, to realize what we dreamt of in these gaps.
If we dont have these insights, then we are just being busy. There is no big breakthrough. There is no step up in productivity. There is no breakaway success. There is no luck.
Just like the post argues that true innovation and meaning arise in these spaces, I try to embrace pauses and gaps in my day rather than constantly filling my every moment with activity.
