Thinking Fast and Slow

“Collect ideas in a crowd. Create in silence and solitude.”

Zone 1: Thinking fast: business travel, airports, meetings, calls, conferences, big city life, networking, events, crowds.

Zone 2: Thinking slow: doing nothing, reading, writing, thinking, creating, no distractions, nature, solitude, peace.

Gathering ideas is best done in Zone 1, where fast-paced activities provide ample inspiration. However, designing and creating should take place in Zone 2, which requires focus.

While Zone 1 provides essential inspiration, the true magic happens in Zone 2, where the most brilliant creations are developed.

Your brain needs downtime to connect the dots like your body needs rest to strengthen itself for the next workout. If you’re always working, always trying to download information, always trying to be productive, you’re preventing your best insights and ideas from bubbling up.

But cannot operate in both zones simultaneously, and it is not productive to switch between them too frequently.

By trying to compartmentalise your time in this way, maybe you can maximize your creativity and productivity. For example, I have heard some people schedule all their meetings in one day, and leave the rest of their schedule empty.