Timing can affect how well you perform specific types of work. Similarly, your environment can have an impact on certain tasks. For work that requires brainstorming, consider getting up from your desk.
Picture: Niall Kennedy/Flickr
Over at 99U, Art Markman says we have a “thinking” system and a “doing” system. Some tasks are action-driven, while others require conceptual thinking. To perform these tasks optimally, consider proximity to your workspace:
Physical and mental distance influence the way you think about things. When you are near to something, you think about it specifically, and you focus on the ways that you can interact with it. Being close to your work engages the doing system. When you are far from it, you think about it more conceptually. Distance engages the thinking system.
If you think about it, you might even do this already. When I’m brainstorming, I sometimes get up and walk around, instinctively. Knowing that it actually serves a purpose can help you take advantage of it for optimising tasks.
The full article is full of tips for making the most out of your “thinking” and “doing” system, so check it out at the link below.
The Thinking Mindset vs. The Doing Mindset: Pick One (And Only One) [99U]
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