We are taught from a young age to believe in the power of sustained attention, but psychologist Josh Davis says if your workforce is struggling to be productive, they may not be daydreaming enough.
Research suggests that mind wandering has important benefits when it comes to performing the kinds of tasks that are among the most cognitively challenging to professionals — creative problem solving and long-term planning. Participants in a University of California at Santa Barbara study who did more mind wandering came up with more creative solutions to the problems presented to them after they had some time to let their brains chew on them.
“The next time you find your mind drifting away from a complex challenge or a problem you are trying to creatively solve, rather than yell at yourself for losing your focus, just let it happen and reap the benefits of mind wandering,” Davis states in his new book, “Two Awesome Hours: Science-Based Strategies to Harness Your Best Time and Get Your Most Important Work Done” (HarperCollins).
Davis reinforces the notion that success in the workplace is indisputably tied to diet, sleep patterns, exercise and other factors we don’t focus on enough. “At some level, we all know from experience that we can be remarkably effective in short amounts of time when we treat ourselves right — and horribly ineffective when we don’t,” Davis states. “Once you understand the science behind what makes us truly productive, you can trust and build on what you already know about yourself, and start thinking about your day in terms of how and when to set yourself up for two awesome hours.”
Find out more about “Two Awesome Hours.“
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