Media Outreach

I just read a very intriguing and thought provoking article on the Harvard Business Review blog, written by Peter Bregman and entitled “Why I Returned My iPad.”

I found it fascinating that the writer came to the realization that everything new isn’t always a good thing.

He bought an iPad, the day it came out.

He enjoyed his iPad…but found it taking up every spare moment of his time.

It left his brain with no room for downtime, to be creative. It performed all the tasks he wanted in a small little, easy-to-take-along device. He could read the news, write blog posts, chat with friends, watch TV,  play a game, research topics. It all sounds good until he realized that there was no time to sit and be “bored.”

Peter mentions that his best ideas come when he’s being unproductive-when he’s sitting and waiting or just before he falls asleep. He writes:

They are the moments in which we, often unconsciously, organize our minds, make sense of our lives, and connect the dots. They’re the moments in which we talk to ourselves. And listen.

To lose those moments, to replace them with tasks and efficiency, is a mistake. What’s worse is that we don’t just lose them. We actively throw them away.

What do you think? Is it important to let the mind have “wasted moments?” Or is it more beneficial to keep your mind stimulated every waking moment?

Please share your thoughts…

Photo By: Yutaka Tsutano