Thinking Time

  • djackson 22568 (11/29/2011)


    I'd encourage you to take some time to just think over the holiday season, when there usually is less work going on

    HA HA HA HA HA HA, ROFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Where do I find that job? I work in health care. There is no such thing as less work going on at any time.

    I'm lucky these days, I actually get holidays as a light time. I used to work in payroll. The holidays were our busiest time of the year.

    I get most of my thinking time while getting ready in the morning, and on the drive to work. Of course then I have the problem that I rarely remember to write any of it down when I get to work!

    Kenneth

    Kenneth FisherI was once offered a wizards hat but it got in the way of my dunce cap.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------For better, quicker answers on T-SQL questions, click on the following... http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/Best+Practices/61537/[/url]For better answers on performance questions, click on the following... http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/SQLServerCentral/66909/[/url]Link to my Blog Post --> www.SQLStudies.com[/url]

  • stephanie.sullivan (11/29/2011)


    djackson 22568 (11/29/2011)


    I'd encourage you to take some time to just think over the holiday season, when there usually is less work going on

    HA HA HA HA HA HA, ROFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Where do I find that job? I work in health care. There is no such thing as less work going on at any time.

    In my current place every year there is a last minute super important project that just has to be developed in December after maybe 6 months of dithering on the part of the business (the psychology I guess is "I can't let this go into 2012") - the whole IT department gets quite stressed at this time of year!

    Isn't it weird how arbitrary the human mind gets about time?

    "Oh my gosh! If this project finishes 1 minute after midnite on Jan 1st, it'll be next year and we'll be ruined! RUINED I TELL YOU!"

    Put it that way, and most people will laugh and agree it's insane to think that way. Then go right ahead and try to jam-pack Q4 with more projects than were done in Q1-3 together.

    Same thing with the whole 2012 thing. The Mayan calander ends, and then starts over. Oh my! That's horrible! Why, that would be like our calendar ending every December and restarting every January! How horrible! The world is doomed! Good thing we would never end our calendar in December that way... oh my!

    But people do think that way. About lots of things.

    Probably because they don't take time to think about it. Exactly as per the editorial.

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  • I am as likely to solve a problem when away from work as when I am at work. As mentioned above, walking around seems to help -- I remember a time when I used to use a treadmill or stationary bike, and sometimes I would architect entire solutions! It was fun.

  • DavidL (11/29/2011)


    I am as likely to solve a problem when away from work as when I am at work. As mentioned above, walking around seems to help -- I remember a time when I used to use a treadmill or stationary bike, and sometimes I would architect entire solutions! It was fun.

    I've come up with more solutions on bar napkins then in Visio. The difference? When I'm drawing on bar napkins my buddies don't interrupt me every 2 minutes. When I'm working in Visio I'm just 'drawing pretty pictures' and can't possibly be busy....

    I'm relatively sure the beer helps too.


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  • GSquared (11/29/2011)


    stephanie.sullivan (11/29/2011)


    djackson 22568 (11/29/2011)


    I'd encourage you to take some time to just think over the holiday season, when there usually is less work going on

    HA HA HA HA HA HA, ROFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Where do I find that job? I work in health care. There is no such thing as less work going on at any time.

    In my current place every year there is a last minute super important project that just has to be developed in December after maybe 6 months of dithering on the part of the business (the psychology I guess is "I can't let this go into 2012") - the whole IT department gets quite stressed at this time of year!

    Isn't it weird how arbitrary the human mind gets about time?

    "Oh my gosh! If this project finishes 1 minute after midnite on Jan 1st, it'll be next year and we'll be ruined! RUINED I TELL YOU!"

    Put it that way, and most people will laugh and agree it's insane to think that way. Then go right ahead and try to jam-pack Q4 with more projects than were done in Q1-3 together.

    Same thing with the whole 2012 thing. The Mayan calander ends, and then starts over. Oh my! That's horrible! Why, that would be like our calendar ending every December and restarting every January! How horrible! The world is doomed! Good thing we would never end our calendar in December that way... oh my!

    But people do think that way. About lots of things.

    Probably because they don't take time to think about it. Exactly as per the editorial.

    It's definitely gotta be a visceral/underlying thing because you know that in the last quarter you have everyody using up their holiday days and probably 90% of staff will take a week or two weeks off either the first or second half of december, leaving you at best half resourced for a project before you even take into account illness and hangovers. Multiply this lack of resourcing if working with third parties who have unknown organisational behaviour around christmas and you have one of the worst possible times to develop and deliver a major project.

    As you say it's maybe a lack of thinking time but I can't help but think it's a much stronger need that causes denial and generally ignoring IT, the project plans, the notices about skeleton cover and so on. It makes me think of my favourite dilbert of recent times that is about project plans and meetings.

    http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2011-11-23

  • A solution ...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XD2kNopsUs

    ... if you want to work at work.

    We've implemented this. Every wednesday after lunch its "quiet time".

    Works perfectly!

  • Christakis Ziliaskoudis (11/30/2011)


    A solution ...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XD2kNopsUs

    ... if you want to work at work.

    We've implemented this. Every Wednesday after lunch its "quiet time".

    Works perfectly!

    Very nice!

  • In the same train of toughts.

    4 hour work week. Pick the audio version if you don't like to read cause it's awesome.

  • Are you suggesting that we think before we act/code/work/speak?

    Thinking time is essential - whether in small amounts or large chunks.

    Thinking time is a good way to also recharge the batteries and come back at a problem with renewed energy.

    Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
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  • Couple meetings are Ok. But daily meeting or more than two meetings a day (group meeting, multiple groups meeting, department meeting) are wasted.

    Technical people like developer, database administrator, architect need time to think, to find the best solutions.

    “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one.” (Matthew 5:37)

  • Surely there is the need for some thinking time. Many hours of sleep lost when the brain decides to rehearse a memorable problem instead of snoozing.

  • Along the same lines is to take a break from a particular problem, if you are stuck. I can't tell you how many times I have gone home, and, in the middle of the night, or on my way driving home, the answer has come to me, not even thinking about the problem. Of course, this is only in a non-emergency situation. 🙂

    Great article, Steve.

    Nice post, Stephanie.

    Thanks...Chris

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