by Dan Oswald
You don’t spend nearly enough time simply thinking. Before you take offense to that statement, consider how much time you spend talking, responding to e-mail, even reading—my guess is that you spend more time doing any one of them than you do thinking.
Why do so many people claim they have had some stroke of genius while in the shower? It’s because they’re alone with their thoughts for about 10 minutes without a phone, computer, or book. And according to those who have achieved more from a shower than just cleansing their bodies, that’s all it took for them come up with a great idea that’s going to make a difference. 10 minutes!
We’re stuck in a society in which ADD has become the norm. We can’t entirely focus on anything for more than short periods of time. We’re self-described multitaskers. We don’t do one thing at a time—we do two or three things at once. And we brag about it! We consider ourselves the models of efficiency.
We talk on the phone while we drive. We read a book while we exercise. We respond to e-mail while sitting in a meeting. We even play games on our phones while watching TV. We’re connected to our devices 24/7.
I’m on a plane as I write this. It used to be that when you were on a plane, you could choose between reading, talking, sleeping, or thinking. Today we have our computers, tablets, and phones. We’re disappointed, as I was this morning, when we discover our plane isn’t equipped with Wi-Fi—how dare they get in the way of my efficiency?! I’m 30,000 feet in the air and upset that I can’t check my incoming e-mail.
I have a colleague who thinks he could make a living helping executives disconnect from technology. My guess is he would have a hard time convincing businesspeople to give up their smartphones and computers—let alone pay him to do it. For many of us, it would be like having a limb amputated! But maybe, just maybe, this boot camp for the overly connected could be sold to their spouses and children as an intervention tool. Oh, that’s right—those family members are all sitting at the dinner table with their own devices.
And what gets lost in all of this connectivity is the time to simply think or reflect. Each day we are confronted with an unbelievable amount of information. Got a question? No sense thinking about the answer. It’s quicker to find it by conducting a Google search. The answer is right at your fingertips—literally!
So how much uninterrupted time do you spend each day simply thinking? I’m willing to bet it’s not much and certainly not enough. You need time to digest all the information you access using that technology. You need to find a way to avoid those things—both self-inflicted and caused by others—that interrupt your ability to find quiet time to think.
Here are a few suggestions:
- Close the door to your office for 30 to 60 minutes each day. Turn your phone ringer off, shut down the computer, and turn off your cell phone. Don’t sit at your desk because you’ll be tempted to pick up a report or something else and start reading. Place an empty pad of paper and a pen in front of you, and just think about some of the issues you’re facing. Pick one particularly perplexing problem and focus on it for the entire time, jotting down any ideas that come to you. If you don’t have an office door, book a conference room. If you don’t have a conference room, go for a walk. Anything that takes you away from all the things that distract you from the problem at hand.
- Don’t multitask when you exercise. If you’re on the treadmill, turn the TV off. If you’re riding the stationary bike, don’t read a book. If you’re in the pool, leave the waterproof earphones behind. Years ago, when I was running a lot, I would go out by myself without any technology. It provided a fantastic opportunity to think through whatever issues I happened to be dealing with. It’s great that you’re exercising, but double the benefit by spending that time thinking instead of distracting yourself with something.
- Take 30 minutes either first thing in the morning or last thing at night to be alone with your thoughts. So often we busy ourselves with things to do from the minute we wake up in the morning until we turn off the lights at night. Most of us either watch TV or read in bed until the lights go out and we fall asleep. Then we wake up in the morning already on the run. How fast can you get showered, grab coffee, and get to the office where all those distractions are? Instead of rushing out the door to get to the office, how much could be accomplished by simply being alone with your thoughts. Or instead of watching late-night TV until you fall asleep, lie there and consider everything you’ve done and learned that day.
It really doesn’t matter how or where you do it, but you must find ways to take the time to think. If not, you spend your entire day doing and reacting, without much thought to the value of those activities. Your actions should be intentional and purposeful. For that to happen, you must take the time to be alone with your thoughts, work through issues, and contemplate the best course of action. You need quiet time to allow that to happen.
You are a sweet man. I enjoy your thoughts and advice each time you write to me. I am a 71 year old grandma who studies under a yoga expert 5 days a week, thank God for a classical education in private schools at the behest of the whips and chains of the Benedictines and Dominicans (it helps during Jeopardy!), and lift weights and use the ab lounger during off days. I will not live long enough to give the gifts I want to give, make the art and writings I wish to create, or read the books and magazines that still show some vestige of literacy. The beautiful thing about being this old is that I can remember Ike, McArthur, Churchill, Stalin, Hitler and Mussolini, Mao and Uncle Ho and compare and contrast their journeys with the march of the freak parade we see today. It is all brand new to my grandchildren, if they take their nose out of a Starbucks cup long enough to study. Life is wonderful, if we just let it be so. Your most encouraging tip I absorbed this time was the morning and evening meditation, thought, prayer and planning. Care of our brain and our soul is paramount as they are all we really have. Your friend, Sidonia
Thank you for the article. The tips you offer are actually part of my everyday routine and I would be severely limited on the job if I didn’t employ these techniques regularly. I find that when confronted with a difficult situation or problem, I would take a 10 minute break to think. Unfortunately, I did work for a boss who saw this time as “unproductive.” My advice for you is to keep track of your successes and be assertive to your supervisors about “your process” that results in your success. If you are lucky, your supervisor will understand and support you. If not, then be ready to look for another employer who will support your process. The difference in results and sense of accomplishment can be seen when you compare the processes of FIRE-ready-aim and READY-aim-fire. Taking time to think is the READY step.
Absoutely! This is one of those “well duh” concepts that we just forget. It takes someone who can identify this failing and bring it to the forefront! Thank you for doing that.
Well said Mr. Oswald.
I so look forward to the fall each year as I enjoy time deer, elk and bear hunting. The time sitting in a tree stand or in a ground-blind is thinking and praying time for me. Then there is time after dinner sitting around a campfire with friends and family, no phone, no TV with the only interruptions to my thoughts are the laughter of grandkids or posing a “question to ponder” that comes from deep within my thoughts of the day.
You are right on! Two years ago, I left my global executive job in the corporate world where I traveled all over the world. I now have a home office. I will say that it took me a year to really decelerate……I was so hyped all the time. I did not realize the stress that the constant connection had on me and my family.
I now have more time to think, am indeed more productive and creative and our family life is significantly improved. Financially, I make almost as much as I did before, but have more fun and am more relaxed. I highly recommend your suggested path for everyone!
This is a lot of great advice. Lately I have been setting aside the first 30 minutes of the workday to read the Bible, reflect on current personal issues and identify my top priorities for the day before turning on my computer and my productivity has gone way up as a result.
I’m also setting aside two business days per month for doing strategic planning. On those days and every workday I do my best to avoid getting caught up in the “tyranny of the urgent” and spend adequate time focusing on the big, long-term picture.
I always enjoy reading your articles above all others because there is that most wonderful element: common sense. This one on time to think is just such a gem. My best ideas happen just in that twilight between sleep and waking. My mental health is far better if I walk without my headphones out in nature, consistently. Good advice was provided here in this article, all around.
This post is right on. I consistently had a cell phone from 1999 through 2012. I always had to have the latest Smartphone starting with the Treo 180 back in 2003. In 2012 I had a revelation and ended cellular communication. I started using my smart phone only as a calendar and then as a camera, until now. I don’t even carry it with me anymore. I most recently cut my work day in half and committed half of my day to others and the second half to business and in two weeks I have done more business than in the last month. Strange! I don’t attribute it to thinking as much as I attribute it to time for listening. It is when all else is silent that we can actually hear our creator speak to us and even the creation. My children and I observed birds having a conference yesterday afternoon and they wished they could understand them and know what they were talking about. I was just impressed that they noticed the birds did not conference in the mornings only in the evenings. This means they don’t have their faces stuck in a tablet all the time. I have to continue to model this behavior for my children to have a chance. Keep up the good work and maybe one day we’ll be able to understand the birds again…We can get a lot more done when we take the time to listen.
Thank you for this article. I needed it. I am guilty of working out with my waterproof earphones and plugged into the tv or radio while on the treadmill or bike. At work I’m continually reading or developing something with little down time to reflect. It seems as if I’m always playing catch up and keep up. I will take your advice and start out by scheduling 30 minutes at the end of the day to reflect upon either one issue or what’s transpired during the day. Surely this will help me be more centered and effective. Hopefully this simple technique will not prove itself to be too difficult to implement. It’s definitely worth the try.
Thank you all for your comments, suggestions, and encouragement. I’m grateful that you have found something of value in this piece. And I truly appreciate you sharing your stories. It’s great to hear how others are finding time to unplug and have benefited from doing so!
Thank you for this wonderful read. it actually made me reflect and will take time,
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This is tough to write, but here goes . . . .
Yesterday, journalist Steven Sotloff was beheaded by ISIS. I knew Steven during his high school years – processing what has taken place in the past two weeks has been challenging. After hearing the awful news yesterday, I left work and took three whole hours to just “be.” Drove around without the music on, alone, just explored my thoughts. Thoughts of Steven, his smiling face, quirky and funny sense of humor, his commitment to sharing people’s stories from around the globe, and yes, even thoughts about how he knew the risks of being a journalist in Syria.
I did indeed feel better after my time apart from the connected world. The sad part is there is not much I can do about the situation and that is tough to swallow. How to you deal with irrational people?
My point? time away is indeed a good thing. Reading your post was so very helpful and for that I am grateful!