Think, Connect, Act: Time to Think

Thinking is hard.

In Thinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman points out that deep thinking is hard compared to the fast, and often wrong, ‘monkey-brain’ reactions. Deep thinking, which he calls System 2, takes energy, it feels uncomfortable, and it’s slow.

He explains that “laziness is built deep into our nature” and we are naturally inclined to avoid effortful thinking unless absolutely necessary.

This creates a problem when it comes to ambiguity. Our desire for cognitive closure – to reach definite conclusions and remove ambiguity – drives us to tame a problem too quickly and miss the nuance. All of this is amplified in our desire for speed.

There is also a more subtle and substantial problem with deep thinking. We can be afraid of what will turn up when we take time to think – the realisation that we are on the wrong path, having to face what we know to be true, or release some dragons we can’t put back.

Thinking can create questions we can’t answer right now – and that makes the complexity even more uncomfortable.

Thinking is part of the work

My previous newsletter, Think Connect. Act – That’s the Work introduced three fundamental roles of work. This edition of the series dives into the discipline of thinking – both individually and collectively.

Thinking well in the middle of messiness is critical. When the system keeps changing over time, we need the ability to shift our mental models to match.

Some of the signs that you need more time to think are:

• Everything feels urgent, and priorities aren’t clear.

• You're being pushed to choose between false alternatives.

• There’s pressure to "just get on with it," but something doesn’t feel right.

• The problem shape-shifts the more you look at it.

• The same issues keep showing up, despite taking action to fix it.

If we don’t take the time to think we default to familiar ways of operating, we miss weak signals or we do a great job of solving the wrong problems.

Good thinking is both individual and social

Whether you're thinking by yourself or with others, the fundamental approach is similar - create space, resist the urge to rush, and pay close attention to what surfaces.

1. Individual Thinking

One of the most useful activities is to create an hour to sit with a blank sheet of paper and see what turns up. It could be in a coffee shop or during your commute or any place that is removed from daily noise. It is a luxury that takes effort, but it is well worth doing.

When you first sit down, whatever is top of mind turns up – could be your shopping list or the jobs for the weekend. But if you sit quietly, the muse will kick in and the good stuff will make an appearance.

After a while, the things that are significant and you know to be true (but maybe not paying attention to) hit you in the face. Most of the time there will be an ‘ah ha’ moment of revelation and clarity.

2. Collective Thinking

Thinking collectively has the same form – make space, don’t rush, pay attention. It is about how well you can get a group to effectively contribute to a shared understanding. The role of the leader is to hold the space and not collapse the uncertainty too soon, allowing different opinions into the room.

Good thinking takes time. We need to get over the idea that in a fast-paced world with a bias for action, thinking can feel like a waste of time. It is the only way to get ahead of the situation.

What rituals do you have?

In complexity, our instinct is to fill the void with action, analysis, and noise. We’re uncomfortable with ambiguity, so we rush to close it down. Because it is hard, we need to build rituals that force space to think into the schedule. These need to be setup deliberately and given priority.

Questions to ask yourself:

• What would happen if you held space just a little longer before acting?

• Where do you need to intentionally slow down and dedicate time to think?

• How can you create this as a regular activity?

We are often rewarded for decisiveness and efficiency. We fear appearing indecisive or unprepared. More significantly, many organisations don’t reward the ability to think well together or solve problems collectively.

Holding space to think means resisting the temptation to default to easy answers. It means staying in the harder, more contemplative mode long enough for clarity to emerge. A critical step in complexity.

Next week, Think, Connect, Act: Connection creates context.