Holly CumminsTIL there's a technical name for why ideas happen in the shower: the "default mode network" is a pattern of brain activity, measurable using fMRI, that happens when we're unfocussed. When the brain goes into idle mode (reduced activity), this part of the brain actually becomes *more* active. What does the default mode network do? Research is ongoing, but part of it definitely seems to be making connections, which is associated with curiosity and creativity.
I had an idea once that - in opposition to what Shopify are doing, by reducing meetings - organisations should have *more* meetings. The more terrible, tedious, and dull, the better.
Why? In bad meetings, our mind wanders, and we become creative. Meetings - if they're bad enough - are a bit like the shower of the modern workplace.
(Well, except that showers make you happy and clean, and bad meetings make you irritated and grubby. And stupid, because of carbon dioxide levels.)
Jennifer Slack@holly_cummins
I see a lot of people in meetings getting a lot of non-meeting-related work done. However, there are those that get so dispirited by terrible meetings, their enthusiasm for life and creativity gets occluded by a crust of crud. I count myself among the latter group. Terrible meetings demand far too much recovery time, many showers as it were dedicated to washing the grime off before creativity can again emerge.
I see a lot of people in meetings getting a lot of non-meeting-related work done. However, there are those that get so dispirited by terrible meetings, their enthusiasm for life and creativity gets occluded by a crust of crud. I count myself among the latter group. Terrible meetings demand far too much recovery time, many showers as it were dedicated to washing the grime off before creativity can again emerge.