Reserving time to think.

Critical thinking is experiencing a rapid decline.  Our schedules are jammed packed with meetings, appointments, tasks and obligations, and what idle time we do have amidst these activities is being spent on our phones checking email, ordering products, paying bills, responding to texts/instant messages, scheduling more appointments, or just mindlessly scrolling.

We don’t make time for true contemplation but rather prioritize in-the-moment survival thinking…allowing ourselves very small increments of time to wrap our heads around the next thing on our plate.

When we don’t reserve time to think, breakthroughs often happen in places where we are more likely to be free from physical and digital distractions.  Think about it…When do ideas come to you?  When do you crack the code on difficult problems?  When do you gain new insights into old habits?

For individuals, the top answers are 1) in the shower, 2) while commuting and 3) on a walk or run.  For teams, it is in a conference room when phones and computers are replaced by whiteboards or drawing pads, and people are forced to be fully present and collaborate.  When the “noise” of distractions is eliminated, our thoughts become clearer, deeper, more creative and more productive. 

We carve out time to eat, sleep and exercise… let’s make a conscious effort to carve out some time in our day to think through the things that matter.