Recent research has found that most U.S. workers complain that they are under a great deal of pressure in their jobs to get things done quickly. They report difficulty concentrating on a single task, so workers never feel that they have accomplished anything. When the same study was conducted in 1994, researchers found that 82 percent of respondents claimed to accomplish at least half their planned work for the day, but in the current study that percentage dropped to 50 percent. One of the biggest contributors to lowered productivity is multitasking (and you thought you were so cool). A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences surveyed 262 students about their media consumption habits. They then took the 19 students who multitasked the most and the 22 who multitasked the least and conducted additional tests. The findings were telling. In every test, those who spent the least amount of time simultaneously e-mailing, texting, talking on the phone, and surfing the Internet performed substantially better than those who spent the most time (Ophira, E., Nass, C. and Wagner, A.D. (2009). “Cognitive Control In Media Multitaskers.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: 106( 33), August 25.)

 

The subconscious is the part of the brain responsible for discovery. If the thinking parts of the brain (left and right hemispheres) are constantly active, the subconscious is unable to supply the creative power it was designed for. Entrepreneurs need to set aside some time each day to let their brains free-associate or perhaps to do something creative that is unrelated to work. The simple act of turning off the e-mail notification button or turning off the phone can cut down on distractions and open the door to new ideas. I know that some of you will be lost if you’re not constantly connected, but believe me, the world will not come to an end in the 10 minutes you take to let your subconscious brain kick in, and you might just come up with that great idea you’ve been looking for.