Learning Challenge: Am I "too" busy?
In the article Being busy is killing our ability to think creatively, Beres highlights the importance of taking a break or having a moment without stimulation or a need to utilize attention. As I have learned throughout my psychology course work, our attention is a fixed capacity. It requires a lot of executive control and is quite difficult to focus for long periods of time. Once your capacity limit is hit, you can kiss attention goodbye.
Why then, do we demand attention in almost every aspect of our days? Even when we are "leisurely" on our phones or watching that new episode of a show, it demands attention. No wonder we find it more difficult to stay focused on an individual task or feel so drained at the end of our days. With the ease at which we can connect to each other and have access to attention-necessary devices, we have grown to be unable to withstand doing nothing. We feel as if we must be busy all the time.
This article confirmed the fact that over-utilizing attention can have negative outcomes. It also confirmed that this overuse of attention can limit other brain functions, like creative thinking, or start to inhibit negative emotional states, like anxiety. Something new that I learned was that it is almost necessary to take complete mind breaks. I know breaks from study sessions are important, but that break shouldn't consist of looking through social media, it should be a complete attention break, like walking or meditating.
I think I struggle with this aspect, as many people may. We see TV and social media as a fun way to blow off steam, but it is actually utilizing the very resources we are trying to conserve. After reading this article, I think I am too busy. I need more time in the day where my brain can freely wonder, or be free from things demanding it's attention and focus. I think I will start to walk my dogs at break time to see how this changes the way I return to my work.
Why then, do we demand attention in almost every aspect of our days? Even when we are "leisurely" on our phones or watching that new episode of a show, it demands attention. No wonder we find it more difficult to stay focused on an individual task or feel so drained at the end of our days. With the ease at which we can connect to each other and have access to attention-necessary devices, we have grown to be unable to withstand doing nothing. We feel as if we must be busy all the time.
This article confirmed the fact that over-utilizing attention can have negative outcomes. It also confirmed that this overuse of attention can limit other brain functions, like creative thinking, or start to inhibit negative emotional states, like anxiety. Something new that I learned was that it is almost necessary to take complete mind breaks. I know breaks from study sessions are important, but that break shouldn't consist of looking through social media, it should be a complete attention break, like walking or meditating.
I think I struggle with this aspect, as many people may. We see TV and social media as a fun way to blow off steam, but it is actually utilizing the very resources we are trying to conserve. After reading this article, I think I am too busy. I need more time in the day where my brain can freely wonder, or be free from things demanding it's attention and focus. I think I will start to walk my dogs at break time to see how this changes the way I return to my work.
(Image from Max Pixel)
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