Sitting on a hard chair - Take the time to think

August 13, 2010

With all the information flowing in through our various devices, you would think this would be the golden age of decision-making. But is there any time left over for thinking?

The myth of multitasking. We engage in multitasking as if it is an athletic event. We read e-mail and check box scores while talking on the telephone and reading a spread-sheet. But researchers indicate that we are not multitasking at all, but quickly shifting from one task to the other. They suggest that what we are really doing is serial tasking, without doing any one task particularly well

A wall of sound. Whether we are walking the treadmill, jogging through the park or riding in the car, many of us are listening to recorded sound. Time was that these refuges from the workplace provided an opportunity for unbroken concentration, but these refuges are now crowded with distractions.

Twitchy fingers. While in an elevator, at a restaurant, walking down the street or even on vacation, busy fingers restlessly scroll through Blackberries in search of new messages or breaking news. If these twitchy fingers are a metaphor for what is going on inside people’s brains, it is clear that deep thought is not one of the activities.

The shallows. Author Nicholas Carr observes that, “What we seem to be sacrificing in all our surfing and searching is our capacity to engage in the quieter, attentive modes of thought … The Web never encourages us to slow down. It keeps us in a state of perpetual mental locomotion.”

Disconnected. With the many virtual touch points available to us today, it is easy to feel that we are connected to our network of contacts. While electronic tools are enormously useful, they cannot replace modes of human outreach that are hardwired into our shared psyche. Tweets, e-mails and texts supplement but do not replace “warm” personal contacts.

The hard chair. Whether it is a metaphor or a real object, a hard chair should be set aside for deep, uninterrupted thinking. Business is challenging, and risk is high as the economy continues to seek solid footing. It is only by thinking hard on these risks and challenges that we will recognize the opportunities.

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About KMRD Partners, Inc. – KMRD Partners, Inc. is a full service Property & Casualty broker serving the commercial property and casualty insurance market from offices in the Philadelphia, PA region.  Their mission statement, “Making a difference by Managing the Cost of Risk”, is a unique approach that focuses not just on insurance placement, but coverage expertise, service accountability, client education and risk management.

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