Does Being Busy Make You Stupid?
May 16th, 2005 by Bob Bly
Are you too busy today to do your best work? Too pressured to enjoy what poet Billy Collins calls “the still room of thought” … a contemplative, quiet mode for thinking and writing?
Now modern science tells us that being too busy can actually make us less intelligent.
According to a study from the University of London, trying to work while constantly checking your e-mails and voice mail messages temporarily lowers your I.Q. by about 10 points.
Reason: the human brain did not evolve to handle the constant flow of communication and information that modern technology, essentially developed within a generation, now exposes it to.
The inescapable conclusion? If you don’t structure some quiet and alone time into your day … admittedly difficult, especially in a corporate setting … you may rob yourself of the opportunity to do your best work and thinking.
Do you find this already happening to you? And what can one do to alleviate the problem?
This entry was posted on Monday, May 16th, 2005 at 3:48 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
May 16th, 2005 at 5:08 pm
Oh yea!
Writing seems easier when my laptop (resting in my lap) is not connected to the Internet nor on my (cluttered) desk. My best thinking comes when I have no computer, just a pencil and pad to jot down notes. Many an article idea started with a scribbled note written on the back of one of my business cards. The rocking chair on the back porch is a very nice (and productive) place to work.
Joel
May 16th, 2005 at 6:27 pm
You said it Joel. When I’m writing, I always schedule some offline time and pull out my wireless card. It’s when i get my best work done.
May 16th, 2005 at 8:34 pm
Wow. I know this to be true but it’s scary to see the results of the study from the Univ. of London. I often take a “power walk” in the middle of the day. And I *always* come up with at least one good idea while I’m walking. Too much time online is toxic… wish I could control my addiction better.
May 17th, 2005 at 6:55 am
I find some of my most productive time is not always in what you would assume is the most productive environment - it’s the half an hour on the train on the way home from work. I think it’s because I know (or at least hope) it’s a period of time that is limited and the interruptions are more peripheral than the usual phone and email.
Every so often, I get an utterly inspired half hour on the train and think I’m much more intelligent than I thought I was (and I already have a pretty high opinion of myself!).
May 18th, 2005 at 1:48 am
That is without doubt one of the best titles I’ve read in recent memory. It made me want to read the post.
The simple answer is Yes. Voicemail, email instant messaging, unexpected phone calls, people dropping by, etc. It’s a wonder anything gets done and your brain can function at all.
Something I used to do when working in a traditional corporate environment was disappear when deeper thought and concentration was required. I’d go the public library for the morning or afternoon and write business reviews or prepare board presentations. I’d hide in lounges or empty conference rooms. I’d often close my door, disconnect the phone, turn off the computer and seek solace. I’d notify subordinates, peers, and superiors I was “unavailable” and then focus on getting something done.
May 19th, 2005 at 3:35 pm
Ironically my best ideas come when I am nowhere near the office or a pad and pen to write with. Generally this is when I am in the shower or in the car(my radio was stolen and I no longer miss it!) where it’s quiet.
June 7th, 2005 at 12:20 am
Yep.
Years ago I learned hypnosis. One of the ways we would “install” amnesia is by the technique of interruption. Timed right, in the middle of an action which you consider a “unit” of action (e.g., a handshake), leaves your brain without a program. When the brain is without a program, a way to make sense of the world, it is very suggestible to anything that will tell it what to do, that will help it “make sense” again. The interrupted handshake was a technique used by the late psychiatrist Milton Erickson, M.D., whose hypnotic techniques were so powerful that hypnotists frequently distringuish themselves by saying they practice “Ericksonian” hypnosis.
So, if we keep getting interrupted, we forget lots of what we were doing–and can spend lots of time trying to remember what we were doing.
BTW — using this knowledge, I found an effective technique to prevent interruption amnesia. Curious? Write me at my email.
June 10th, 2005 at 8:41 pm
Bob! I love Billy Collins! I’m tellin ya–separated at birth!
October 10th, 2006 at 9:42 am
Didn’t notice it before…quite clever.
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