| Once when I was working for Corporate
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| | task. After that we're just staring into
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| America, my supervisor happened to catch
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| | space or reading the same lines over and
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| me playing solitaire on my computer. I
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| | over again, failing to take much of
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| froze mid-mouse-click, a deer in the
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| | anything in.People who specialize in
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| proverbial headlights.After staring at me
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| | academic success teach students to
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| coldly for several agonizing seconds as
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| | physically get up and walk around when
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| my heart sank through the floor, he
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| | they start to feel their attention
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| melted into playful laughter."I'm
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| | waning, and the same applies to corporate
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| kidding!" he blurted out. "Oh, you should
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| | environments. The mind needs a break in
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| have seen your face! But listen...
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| | order to regain its focus.But recent
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| seriously... you really need a better
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| | studies on the causes of ADD have also
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| game than that. Here, try this one."He
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| | proven this mind-body connection:
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| commandeered my keyboard and surfed over
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| | children suffering from ADD who engage in
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| to a shareware site, cheerfully extolling
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| | certain physical exercises on a regular
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| the merits of the new game while I could
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| | basis show marked improvement in general
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| do nothing but stare in silent
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| | attentiveness and prolonged task focus.
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| fascination.There isn't any punch line
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| | (See Exercising a Longer Attention Span,
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| here. It's a true story. He was dead
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| | published in May by The Boston Globe.)
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| serious about downloading the game
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| | And countless neurological studies have
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| package for me, and he was right about it
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| | shown that the brain needs a variety of
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| being a good one. I played it avidly for
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| | stimulation in its physical environment
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| years.But there is a lesson in his
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| | in order to keep generating new
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| actions: understanding the all-too-human
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| | connections.The implications to the
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| needs of your direct reports is critical
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| | corporate world are revolutionary. In
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| to good management.The need for
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| | short, employees need to be encouraged to
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| occasional breaks from repetitive tasks
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| | take frequent breaks. People don't need
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| is an inescapable fact of human nature.
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| | to leave the building for an hour at a
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| Everyone needs them. But all too often we
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| | time, but they do need to go do something
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| fail to take them when we need to. Afraid
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| | else once in a while.In an office
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| to look inefficient or
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| | environment, people need to be able to
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| less-than-dedicated or just plain lazy,
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| | get up and walk around when they need
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| many employees choose to stay at their
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| | to--and the office culture needs to
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| post--be it a computer, a loading dock,
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| | encourage this behavior. In retail, tasks
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| or a cash register--rather than take the
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| | such as working the cash registers,
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| breaks they need to stay fresh and
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| | greeting customers, and restocking
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| productive all day long.Worse still, many
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| | shelves should be rotated frequently,
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| corporate policies actually demand that
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| | with occasional breaks away from the
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| people make this unfortunate choice,
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| | public eye. And the principles apply
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| considerably undermining the
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| | equally to physical labor. Both mind and
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| effectiveness of their own workforce.It
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| | body need frequent breaks from repetitive
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| may seem "natural" to expect higher
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| | activity.The idea of frequent breaks may
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| productivity to come with more work time,
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| | raise some eyebrows, but it is the only
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| but this simplistic formula ignores a
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| | way to maintain true efficiency. Trying
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| profound truth: the human mind can only
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| | to keep working when you're feeling
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| do the same thing for so long before it
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| | "squidgy" significantly reduces your
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| starts to shut down.This natural drop off
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| | overall productivity, which will continue
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| in repetitive ability can manifest in a
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| | to deteriorate until the mind gets the
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| thousand different ways, from mental
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| | break it needs.So it turns out that my
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| symptoms such as stress, irritation and
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| | supervisor was right to encourage me in
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| loss of focus to physical symptoms such
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| | my solitaire habit. He had a strict
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| as muscle stiffness and fatigue. I
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| | "quality of life" policy, and it worked
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| personally experience the need for breaks
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| | brilliantly. We stuck to our forty-hour
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| as a rising sensation of "squidginess."
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| | work weeks, we went out of the office for
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| When I'm no longer functioning at optimum
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| | lunch, we took breaks whenever we needed
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| capacity, I can feel the difference, both
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| | to, and our team managed to bring our
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| mentally and physically. I sum these
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| | three-year project to fruition both on
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| symptoms up by saying I feel "squidgy,"
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| | time and under budget, a feat virtually
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| but the word represents an entire group
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| | unheard of in the industry.Managers who
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| of sensations all bundled together for
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| | understand the need for varied activity
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| convenience.Mentally I start to have a
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| | will encourage their team members to take
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| harder time focusing. My mind begins to
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| | plenty of breaks from the daily grind,
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| wander and I have trouble keeping track
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| | which in turn allows them to come back
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| of where I am in the larger work plan. I
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| | fresh, keeping productivity levels
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| begin to miss details and to forget one
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| | high.On the other hand, the constant
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| or two of the six or seven next steps
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| | interruptions of the modern workplace can
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| that I usually keep in my head.Physically
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| | lead to tremendous inefficiencies if the
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| I find that I begin to squirm and fidget
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| | need for temporary relief goes
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| at my desk. I start to notice physical
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| | unfulfilled. When a human being can't
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| discomforts--eye fatigue, muscle
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| | take genuine breaks, the mind will
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| stiffness, and general restlessness. I
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| | innocently manufacture fake ones in the
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| start to stretch, to rub my eyes, to
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| | form of unnecessary e-mails, phone calls
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| scratch at imaginary itches, and to shift
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| | and "consultations" with
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| position frequently. I find myself
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| | colleagues--anything to avoid the
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| thinking about getting up for another cup
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| | drudgery for as long as possible.This
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| of tea or coffee or maybe getting a
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| | kind of "busy-work" fails to give the
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| snack.What I've learned is that I don't
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| | mind a real rest and results in losses
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| really need a snack or a caffeine boost;
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| | that have been estimated to cost the
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| these are just excuses my mind is
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| | economy over half a trillion dollars
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| creating to try to get me to take the
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| | every year in the United States alone.
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| break I so desperately need.Lest anyone
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| | With so much at stake, companies need to
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| should think that I suffer from ADD, I
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| | make a conscious effort to understand and
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| don't. These symptoms don't come on
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| | embrace the underlying nature of human
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| quickly. They arrive after forty-five
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| | productivity.--EM Sky has been a math
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| minutes to two hours of intense
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| | instructor for The Johns Hopkins
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| concentration, depending on what I'm
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| | University, a special effects technician
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| doing. With all the recent focus on ADD,
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| | in Hollywood, a project manager for
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| many people have lost track of the fact
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| | BellSouth, and a rock climbing instructor
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| that a human mind which is functioning
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| | in Atlanta. She briefly considered
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| perfectly still has a limited attention
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| | leaving her life of adventure to become a
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| span.Studies performed on successful
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| | lawyer, but fortunately she came to her
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| college students have proven that
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| | senses. Now she is an author, writing on
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| forty-five minutes is about the average
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| | business, life, and society for the whole
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| limit for the amount of time that a human
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| | human being.
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| being can focus meaningfully on a given
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|
