When Doing Less Takes You Further

Your best idea this week probably didn’t come at your desk. It likely came in the shower, on a walk, or while staring out a window.

That’s not laziness. It’s neuroscience. Concentrating uses one part of your brain - focused, narrow and locked on a single track. When you take a break, your brain is free to roam across everything you know, connecting distant ideas until the answer quietly clicks into place. 

So this summer: consider doing a little less on purpose. The answer will find you.

Sources

Sio, U. N., & Ormerod, T. C. (2009). Does incubation enhance problem solving? A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 135(1), 94–120.