The Idea: Did you know there’s no such thing as a sugar rush? Scientists have found that it is actually food coloring that causes energetic responses to candy. So, what happens when you realize that for years you have embraced a lie? Sometimes we willingly continue to believe it because it’s easier to do so; it’s difficult to let go of old beliefs. What ideas (or lies) have we embraced that we must reconsider?
Lie #1: Brainstorming Works.
Study after study has shown that people come up with more good ideas when they work alone. A recent article in Fast Company entitled Brainstorming is Dumb by Annie Sneed stated that “brainstorming”, as we’ve come to know it, was birthed in the 1940’s without much supporting research. Many groups soon adopted the strategy. And though it was originally an approach meant to draw the best ideas from teams, it has since become a barrier for originality in many organizations.
Of course, group discussion and collaborations CAN help people build on ideas and come up with new thinking. It’s true that “the room is the smartest member of any team.” Group discussions are often very beneficial, but traditional brainstorming can actually reduce creativity. It often causes linear thinking and clouded analysis of ideas. Conversation dominance occurs and others forget what they wanted to contribute.
The article suggests using Brainwriting instead. This involves less talk and more use of pen and paper. Group members write down their ideas, pass them around, and read each other’s suggestions aloud, all the while continuing to write out new ideas as they come. In fact, there is a big jump in personal creativity after brainwriting in a group. The addition of the written word disrupts the personal biases associated with roundtable brainstorming. Something about the process allows people to have peak creativity even after a session (the study shows); it works.
Lie #2: Multitasking Makes Us More Efficient.
At the recent Growth Summit, a leader from Facebook shared that the average person is consuming seven hours of streaming content within a five-hour period. They are interfacing with two or three technology devices at the same time. Does this approach make us more efficient or insightful? Research compiled by author Erik Qualman found that “There is a fifteen point drop in IQ when multitasking, the equivalent of not sleeping for 36 hours!” Multi-tasking is a lie. It’s an illusion that is appealing but ineffective. No one talks about how debilitating it can really be.
We struggle when we don’t remember this: improvements in efficiency only occur by focusing on one task at a time. To become more efficient, the answer is to simplify not multiply. Qualman also reminds us that “Every 11 minutes, we get interrupted. If we get back to the task at hand (40% of the time we don’t) then it takes 26 min to get back to that task.”
What has been distracting you during the five minutes reading this? Did you digest the information?
What other lies are you embracing that are hindering your growth?
