Google leadership breaks their time into increments of 70, 20 and 10 percent. 70 percent is spent on the core business, 20 percent on related projects like Google Desktop, and 10 percent on new businesses like Blogger or Google WiFi.

How cool — Google recognizes that stepping out of the bounds of our core duties can breed innovation and new ideas. Being cooped up inside an arbitrary bubble can stifle thinking.

Books and articles tell us that when we’re hard at work on a project and we hit a roadblock, we should take a walk or a quick break. I propose extending this solution. Don’t wall yourself off from the outside world. Take 10 percent of your time and spend it on something fresh and new. Take 20 percent of your time and spend it on an ancillary idea that strikes you as having potential.

Via Business 2.0.