Drake > Finance > Stuffs to Ponder

Exhausted All the Time? Still Getting Nowhere?
Maybe you're working too hard for your own good--or your career's. In a new book, Robert J. Kriegel, Ph.D., argues that people are more productive and successful when they give 90% rather than 110%.
By Anne Fisher, FORTUNE, Monday, March 18, 2002

Friends, this recession has got lots of you doing the work of two or three people--most commonly your own job plus whatever used to get done by the recently laid-off. So naturally the title of Robert J. Kriegel's new book, How to Succeed in Business Without Working So Damn Hard (Warner Business Books, $24.95), caught my eye. If you feel you're working harder than ever but accomplishing less (and enjoying it not at all), three words: Read this book. Among its many terrific suggestions is that you schedule regular 15- to 20-minute "time-outs" during your day. That's right--stop working and calm down long enough to get a fresh perspective, or let a great new idea come to you. An excerpt:

"In my programs I always ask, 'How many of you get your best ideas--the barn burners, light bulbs, the aha's--while at work?' No one ever raises their hand. 'Which room in your house do you get your best ideas in?' I ask. The response is always the bathroom or bedroom. 'Why is that?' 'Because no one bothers me and I get time to think,' is the usual response....

"The best ideas emerge when people operate out of a different hemisphere of their brain. Normally, at work we do left-brain thinking, which is linear, rational, and logical. But the more innovative ideas come from the right brain, which is more creative and intuitive.

"When I was working for Young & Rubicam Advertising, I decided to do a little research on creativity. I asked 20 of the top copywriters and art directors where and how they got their best ideas. None of them really knew where the ideas came from, but they all knew that they rarely came when they were at the office. And never, they told me, in meetings....

"Does this mean that you should have a bed or a shower in your office? No, but what you definitely should do is take thinking time. People in some of the most high-pressure occupations, like sports for instance, take a time-out. Why? To regroup, reenergize, rethink, restrategize.

"Stepping back from the action provides you with a different perspective, allowing you to see a bigger picture....

"Discussing the importance of this type of creative break, Tom Peters noted that Horst Schulze, the president of the Ritz-Carlton hotel chain, spends a half an hour every morning meditating on better ways to provide great customer service. And he's the head of an institution renowned for great customer service....

"Dr. Donald Hensrud, the director of the Mayo Clinic Executive Health program, advises: 'Try shutting your office door and closing your eyes for 15 minutes. Lean back and breathe deeply. You'll be surprised at how this changes your perspective. Exercise, another winner, gives your mind a brief vacation while sending a surge of endorphins through your body. The time it takes to exercise can make up for itself in increased energy and efficiency, not to mention improved health down the road.'...

"People blanch at the thought of taking a time-out at work. They say, 'I'm working as hard as I can just to keep up. Who's got the time?' My response is, you don't not have the time. Especially if you want to keep out in front of all the changes that are coming at you in this laser-fast environment.

"It's important to understand that taking a short time-out to refuel and refresh doesn't mean that you are goofing off. When you take a break, your brain doesn't shut off. The ideas that you have been considering shift to a 'back burner' where they incubate. The problems you've been working on make an unconscious shift from the left (logical) to the right (creative) brain. And then, boom! When you least expect it, the lightning strikes.

"One of the ways to fuel the fires and activate your creative right brain is first to immerse yourself in the problem you are trying to solve. Learn everything you can. Then stop thinking about it. Forget it! Focus on something else. I can almost guarantee that at some point the light bulb will go off and you will get an important new insight."

I think Kriegel is on to something here. Try it. At the very least, time-outs can help you fend off burnout--and who knows, the next great insight you get could be the one that rockets you right out of that rut.


Going Nowhere Fast?

Exhausted All the Time? Still Getting Nowhere? Maybe you're working too hard for your own good--or your career's. In a new book, Robert J. Kriegel, Ph.D., argues that people are more productive and successful when they give 90% rather than 110%. By Anne Fisher, FORTUNE, Monday, March 18, 2002 Friends, this recession has got lots of you doing the work of two or three people--most commonly your own job plus whatever used to get done by the recently laid-off. So naturally the title of Robert J. Kriegel's new book, How to Succeed in Business Without Working So Damn Hard (Warner Business Books, $24.95), caught my eye. If you feel you're working harder than ever but accomplishing less (and enjoying it not at all), three words: Read this book. Among its many terrific suggestions is that you schedule regular 15- to 20-minute "time-outs" during your day. That's right--stop working and calm down long enough to get a fresh perspective, or let a great new idea come to you. An excerpt: "In my programs I always ask, 'How many of you get your best ideas--the barn burners, light bulbs, the aha's--while at work?' No one ever raises their hand. 'Which room in your house do you get your best ideas in?' I ask. The response is always the bathroom or bedroom. 'Why is that?' 'Because no one bothers me and I get time to think,' is the usual response.... "The best ideas emerge when people operate out of a different hemisphere of their brain. Normally, at work we do left-brain thinking, which is linear, rational, and logical. But the more innovative ideas come from the right brain, which is more creative and intuitive. "When I was working for Young & Rubicam Advertising, I decided to do a little research on creativity. I asked 20 of the top copywriters and art directors where and how they got their best ideas. None of them really knew where the ideas came from, but they all knew that they rarely came when they were at the office. And never, they told me, in meetings.... "Does this mean that you should have a bed or a shower in your office? No, but what you definitely should do is take thinking time. People in some of the most high-pressure occupations, like sports for instance, take a time-out. Why? To regroup, reenergize, rethink, restrategize. "Stepping back from the action provides you with a different perspective, allowing you to see a bigger picture.... "Discussing the importance of this type of creative break, Tom Peters noted that Horst Schulze, the president of the Ritz-Carlton hotel chain, spends a half an hour every morning meditating on better ways to provide great customer service. And he's the head of an institution renowned for great customer service.... "Dr. Donald Hensrud, the director of the Mayo Clinic Executive Health program, advises: 'Try shutting your office door and closing your eyes for 15 minutes. Lean back and breathe deeply. You'll be surprised at how this changes your perspective. Exercise, another winner, gives your mind a brief vacation while sending a surge of endorphins through your body. The time it takes to exercise can make up for itself in increased energy and efficiency, not to mention improved health down the road.'... "People blanch at the thought of taking a time-out at work. They say, 'I'm working as hard as I can just to keep up. Who's got the time?' My response is, you don't not have the time. Especially if you want to keep out in front of all the changes that are coming at you in this laser-fast environment. "It's important to understand that taking a short time-out to refuel and refresh doesn't mean that you are goofing off. When you take a break, your brain doesn't shut off. The ideas that you have been considering shift to a 'back burner' where they incubate. The problems you've been working on make an unconscious shift from the left (logical) to the right (creative) brain. And then, boom! When you least expect it, the lightning strikes. "One of the ways to fuel the fires and activate your creative right brain is first to immerse yourself in the problem you are trying to solve. Learn everything you can. Then stop thinking about it. Forget it! Focus on something else. I can almost guarantee that at some point the light bulb will go off and you will get an important new insight." I think Kriegel is on to something here. Try it. At the very least, time-outs can help you fend off burnout--and who knows, the next great insight you get could be the one that rockets you right out of that rut.