If thinking is so important, why are we too busy for it?
/One of my favourite executives talks about hiring ‘thinking positions’. This makes me chuckle because I always imagine the alternative: people who don’t need to think on the job. What luxury. What bliss. What a shame. Once, a colleague asked what I was doing for my vacation. I said, ‘Oh, mostly thinking about my life, what I want and how I’m going to get there’. Cue raised eyebrow and end of conversation.
My brain on thinking.
I’ve noticed, here and there, subtle hints that people are too busy to think because they’ve got more important things to do. So many people are caught up in ‘do’ mode, judging success by the number of things crossed off the to-do list. Compared to the frenzied completion of a task list, thinking does seem rather unproductive. Lazy, even. Or, on the other side, selfish and something that ‘must be nice’ to do.
But thinking is essential as Oprah would say for ‘living your best life’. How can we live our best life if we don’t stop and consider what that life is?
Top 5 reasons to stop and think:
Get clarity on your hopes and dreams.
Have a Eureka moment about…something, anything!
Identify the malarkey you need to STOP doing, right now.
Figure out how to do whatever it is you should be doing.
Daydreaming is super-fun possibly even good for your brain.
But what if you are busy? Verging on too busy to think? Stave off the barrenness of a too-busy life by carving out some time for thinking. It can be our little secret.
Create your own private think tank by:
Making a weekly date with your brain (equipment required: brain, pen/pencil, paper).
Getting curious – set a timer for 10 minutes and just write questions for/about yourself.
Doing the work – prioritize those questions and answer them one by one.
Daydreaming – serious thinking needs to be rewarded with flying dragons, laser beams and Linda Hamilton’s biceps.
I hired my own ‘thinking position’ and she is me.
I'm Andrea Bassett, an executive ghostwriter and content marketing writer in Toronto and I’ve spent the last decade serving executives.
I write thought leadership content marketing for executives and/or their content marketing teams. My specializations are corporate wellness, benefits, employee assistance programs, leadership & coaching, encryption & cybersecurity and strength training for seniors.
To talk about a content marketing project, call me at 647-502-3187 or send a note to andrea@redsailwriters.com.
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Photo credit (weird name, I know): https://pixnio.com/computer-arts/coming-fantasy