Time to Think

Even as I sit to write this post, I’ve been distracted from starting by emails, IMs, Twitter, coworkers’ questions and a ringing telephone. As vital as all of these means of communication are, they often keep me from truly ruminating on a thought, problem, or idea long enough to come up with a stance or solution. Lately I’ve even started becoming frustrated with myself and my increasing lack of focus.

As is usually the case though, I don’t believe the tools are to blame, but the user of these tools. My main question for myself and any readers is, ‘How do I balance my need to be connected with my desire to think through and find answers to complex questions?’

Some of these questions deal with work and the best solution for clients. But in today’s world there are so many other questions that I feel the need to be educated on. Should the government have gone for the $700B bailed out? I don’t know. What should be the focus of US foreign policy? Umm, not sure. Wait, did anyone reply to my last Twitter update?

Now, it’s not like anyone is waiting for me to come up with these answers. It’s not like G.W. is calling me in the morning for my final decision. But lately I’ve just felt the need to step outside of myself and my daily routine and think about some bigger issues. And more important, not just think about them for 30 seconds, but actually take the time to learn enough about a topic and think about it enough to form a full opinion.

So I guess I’m really just looking for suggestions. With the distractions that surround us every day, what do you do when you need to think about a question long enough to come up with an answer?