Episode 50 | What Gets in the Way of Thinking?

Welcome to the Better Workday Podcast with your host, Niamh Moynihan. In each episode, Niamh shares new insights and practical ideas to help you create a better workday.

 

Hello, hello, and welcome back to the Better Workday Podcast. How are you doing?

 

First things first, this is episode 50, so thank you for listening and for all the lovely messages along the way. I really appreciate them. Now, today's episode is a follow-up to last week when I spoke about making time to think at work.

 

And this week, I want to talk about what gets in the way of that. Because, look, let's be honest, thinking time sounds great in theory, but in reality, it's one of the first things to disappear when the day gets busy, and that's a real problem.

 

Not just for productivity, but also for decision-making, creativity, and wellbeing. So if you're someone who struggles to find time to think, or who feels like thinking doesn't count as real work, this episode is for you.

 

I want to begin by reminding ourselves why we need time to think. Thinking time is when we step back. It's where we connect the dots, ask better questions, we challenge assumptions, and as a result, we make more thoughtful decisions.

 

But it doesn't always show up on a timesheet, and you can't always point to what you produced in that 30 minutes or that hour. And that can make it feel indulgent, or unnecessary, or like something you'll get to when things calm down, even though you and I both know they never do.

 

I was reading an article from Forbes recently that said something like, "Strategic thinking is the most underused skill in leadership be- 'cause it requires one thing most people don't feel they have: time."

 

And honestly, that really resonated with me, because even though we know thinking time is important, I think these days we treat it like a luxury and not a necessary part of our working day.

 

And look, to understand why that's the case, I think we have to talk about the guilt of doing nothing. Take a moment with me here and imagine this scenario.

 

You finally block out 30 minutes to think, and what happens? Do you feel a bit uncomfortable? You start checking emails just in case?

 

Or you fill the time with something more tangible, because at least then you can say you did something. This is so common, and I'm sure you could easily replace this scenario with a real-life example from within the last couple weeks for you.

 

It comes up all the time in my workshops. People say, "I should be thinking more, but I feel bad when I'm not actively doing." And I get it, I do. Our work culture rewards action. It rewards fast responses and visible output.

 

But thinking time is productive. It's just a different kind of productivity, one that doesn't always show up as a ticked box, but that pays off in better ideas, better plans, and better outcomes.

 

And one of the things I see a lot, especially with managers and leaders, is the pressure to have an answer straightaway. A decision needs to be made.

 

Something goes wrong, and someone's looking for an answer. Someone's looking for clarity. And instead of saying, "Let me think about that," or, "Can you give me five minutes?" we rush to fill the silence.

 

Now, look, sometimes that's necessary. We don't always have the luxury of time, but often we're solving the wrong problem, because we didn't pause long enough to ask the right questions.

 

I read about a study, I think it was Concordia University in Montreal, they did this research a few years back and it found that good time management has actually more of an impact on wellbeing than on productivity.

 

And I think thinking time falls into that category. It creates mental space, it reduces stress, and it gives us a sense of control.

 

But here's the thing, even if you did add thinking time to your calendar, your brain doesn't always cooperate.

 

So I hear this a lot as well, "I tried blocking out thinking time, but I just wasn't in the right headspace for it." And look, that's fair.

 

You can't always force a good idea just because your calendar says it's time to be strategic now. So I think it's more about creating better conditions for thinking.

 

Not perfect conditions, of course, just better ones. So for example, you could ask yourself, "Am I giving myself any space in the day to step back? Is my calendar so full that every decision is being made on the fly?

 

Do I have time to process before I respond?" Because, look, what I often see is people going from meeting to meeting, making decisions in the gaps, and then wondering why everything feels rushed and reactive.

 

If you're in a leadership role, even if it's informal, you have a real opportunity here to shift the culture where you work, to show that thinking is not only allowed, it's expected and valued.

 

So here are three practical things I suggest you could try. Number one, build buffer time into your team's calendar. Try leaving 10 minutes between meetings and encourage people not to stack their diary back-to-back. It's such a small thing, but it gives people a moment to reset, to switch context, to gather their thoughts, and to think.

 

Number two, make it okay to share rough thinking. Not everything has to be polished. I think sometimes it's more helpful to share a sketchy idea early than wait until it's perfect.

 

So you could model that. Share your thinking in progress, ask for feedback, and create a space where early-stage ideas are welcome. Number three for me is to protect thinking time for yourself.

 

And this one is so, so important. If you're not doing it, your team won't either. So block out time for deeper thinking, even if it's just once a week, and let your team know what you're doing.

 

Make it a part of the day-to-day. So, let's recap. What gets in the way of thinking time? Guilt.

 

Feeling like it doesn't count. Urgency, the need to respond fast, and calendars that leave no breathing room.

 

And sometimes the belief that we're not entitled to that space. But the reality is, thinking time is the work.

 

It's not something extra. It's not optional. It's where clarity, creativity, and good leadership comes from. So, look, a couple of things that you can try this week, maybe after a meeting, take five minutes before jumping into the next task.

 

Or pause. Start one sentence this week with, "I don't know yet. Let me think about it." And give yourself that permission.

 

Look, in a way, I think we've normalized being busy, we've normalized being reactive, but what we need to normalize now going forward is thinking, because that's where better decisions come from, that's where meaningful change starts, and ultimately that's what leads to a better workday, not just for you, but for the people who you work with.

 

So that's it for today. If you found s- episode helpful, please send it to someone who's always rushing or who needs a bit of permission to think.

 

And if you do try one of the tips this week, let me know how it goes. I'd love to hear from you. Until next time, stay well and have a better workday.

 

Thank you for tuning in. We hope you enjoyed this episode. The Better Workday Podcast is about helping you have a better workday, so we'd love to hear your thoughts and questions.

 

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