Another thing lost in the mindless haste of the modern world is time to reach a proper understanding before taking action

In all the topics discussed on the subject of making our world a better place, one that rarely occurs is time: the necessity of giving yourself time to allow change and development to take place. Time is an essential component in any change involving human beings. Despite all the rush in today’s world, and the constant demands for the gratification of desires now, almost any progress people make in their lives takes far longer than they typically allow for.

One of the worst aspects of modern life is the constant hurry. Not only does it create stress and tension, it goes a long way to making people seem dumber than they are. If you want to get your brain going, slow down and give it some time and space to work.

Time to consider the facts fully

The first requirement is time to explore, to inquire into the facts, to think, to reflect and to internalize fresh ideas. Everyone has the experience of thinking they know something, only to find they’ve forgotten it after a few days. Our brains are not like bags we can stuff with facts and ideas and expect them to stay there. They’re more like boxes full of holes that let a great portion of whatever we put inside escape quickly. New thinking is “liquid” and easily runs out through the holes. Only by repeating the learning and thinking experience several times can we make what we are trying to remember “sticky” enough to stay behind.

Seeing the patterns that emerge

Next, you need time to see the links between items or facts you may have found. The brain finds it hard to hang on to disconnected pieces of information. Unlike a computer disc, it doesn’t cope well with large amounts of more or less random data. What it does best is to see connections, linking information together and remembering the patterns, not single pieces of data. Remembering a principle and applying it is far easier to do that recalling some individual “rule” or procedure for handling a situation. Do we see those links instantly? Usually not. It takes time to register them fully and understand them well enough to recall them whenever we want.

Setting priorities

You also need time to prioritize and choose how to expend your attention and energy. Doing either in a rush risks making mistakes and wasting effort. I’m suspicious of all the to-do lists and the fashion for ever more Getting Things Done techniques and philosophy.They seem to me to take the place of something simpler, cheaper and in most cases better: THOUGHT.

They make it easier to “recall” large amounts of undigested information and tasks and put them into some kind of initial order. What they don’t seem to me to help with much is recognizing how much garbage doesn’t need to be on the to-do list at all. When I tried them, my lists became longer and longer, mostly with items it was quick and easy to add to the list without thinking carefully about them. When I went back later, I saw that many of these items could simply be dumped.

Taking action

Improvement or change itself takes time. You aren’t going to be successful with every change or idea every time. That’s like an investor who buys a stock today and gets mad if it doesn’t double their money overnight. No one is likely to see change work overnight either. Experienced investors allow time to grow their money slowly and surely. They don’t get into a situation where they must act on a particular day, since that may force them to buy or sell when the market is unfavorable. They don’t become ecstatic at every up-tick in the indexes or depressed by every down day. They take the long perspective.

Warren Buffett is famous for saying the best way to treat the ups and downs of the market is never to think about them at all. His steady, thoughtful long-term investment strategy works just as well for managing change as it has for building his enormous fortune. Focus on small, consistent improvements, building a solid foundation for still more upward moves in the future.

Being creative

Finally, you need time to be creative. I’m not talking about sitting around waiting for inspiration to strike. That’s a romantic idea that bears no relation to what genuinely creative people do. In all those “gaps” where they appear to be doing nothing at all, the world’s outstanding creative minds are hard at work reflecting, ruminating, “noodling” with odd ideas, and tinkering with patterns and unexpected connections.

What you see as the result is a mental iceberg: nearly all the activity that brought it about is hidden below the surface. Most people don’t get anywhere near their potential for finding creative answers because they never give themselves time to do so. They’re so conditioned to quick action that they give up on fresh thinking long before it has any chance to develop. Don’t make the same mistake. Time spent day-dreaming or running over odd ideas in your head is the “soil” in which creative ideas grow.

Technorati Tags: finding new ways, change, improving the world, developing yourself, creativity, building hope, setting priorities, managing change, making decisions

Related articles by Zemanta

• How to Procrastinate Well
• What do YOU want to do TODAY?