Valuing Thinking

How much time throughout the day do you just think about what you are doing and why you are doing it?  How often at work do you do this?  What would people around say if they found you at your desk staring into space?  They'd probably think you were just "spacing out."  What if you set aside 30 minutes each day while at work just to think through projects or problems you are working on? Or to think about connecting each project to one common purpose? Or to brainstorm new ways of solving a current business problem? Or some combination of all of these? Or something completely different?

I recently encouraged our recruiting manager Matt Garland to carve out time each day just to think about ways we could be better attracting folks to NIMBL. After a funny conversation about the Movie Office Space, specifically the term "spacing out," he agreed to spend time each day just thinking about other ways to attract talent.  I think we were both pleasantly surprised at how many creative and unique ideas he was able to generate in just a short time. 

Matt and I also talked about the stigma behind thinking as opposed to doing. At NIMBL and in most aspects of life, rewards are tied to accomplishments.  We don't win the championship by merely thinking about it. So, most of our focus is taking some kind action; doing something.  However, I think we can get so caught up valuing the doing part that we can forget to value the thinking part.  Perhaps if we spent more time linking (thinking) the underlying "why" behind our actions, we'd actually be more efficient and creative, and ultimately be able to actually accomplish more with less action (less doing). 

I guess that when you are thinking, you are doing something. The something being thinking. But how many of us actively take time out of each day to think?  How many of us value thinking along the same lines as a customer meeting, a job interview, an important presentation?  When we look at our calendars how much time is set aside for thinking?