Friday September 25th 2026
This article has been written by local coach Kate Flory
How often do we rush from one meeting to another, without pause to think. Many of us don’t even have time to properly look after ourselves, and grab a snack bar to keep us going and if we are lucky, take a swig from the water bottle on our desk.
What is the all this rushing really costing us?
I’ve coached some managers who aim to eat and drink as little as possible whilst at work to avoid having to go to the loo and miss that ‘all important call’. Some leaders I’ve worked with believe that the role of ‘being available’ means that they cannot dedicate time to concentrate on their workload, so they end up bookending their day with what they need to achieve.
All this rushing and filling up our day with never-ending meetings or tasks not only sets the wrong impression for the emerging leaders around us, but it also limits our ability to consolidate and be creative.
Growing research into memory and learning suggests that when we fill the gap between one meeting, lecture, insightful conversation or article, to an immediate distraction we have interrupted our brain’s learning.
What seems like a good use of time – that important phone call, listening to a podcast etc after something interesting or inspirational, may actually reduce our ability to remember later on. Memory consolidation begins almost immediately after we learn something new. Some studies recommend only a few minutes of quiet wakefulness can help stabilise those memories for future recall.
So what seems like a good time management, is in fact limiting our learning. Building in quiet rest and consolidation is something we can build into our working and home routine.
So instead of picking up your phone or earbuds, try to:
– Sit quietly at your desk and look out the window for five minutes.
– Walk around the block or office (ideally where you don’t bump into anyone).
– Make yourself a cuppa, and drink it away from your desk or phone.
– If you can, close your eyes for a few minutes and enjoy the silence.
– Do some mindful breathing (visit my Moving your Mind in Minutes eLearning for more inspiration).
– Look at a familiar photo or picture and allow and just view it without any questions or judgements.
– Go outside and listen to sound of nature.
– Or do a mundane task such as washing up, vacuuming, dusting.
The emerging evidence suggests that the more we fill up our time and mind with activities, the less likely we fill our brain with new thoughts and learning.
Perhaps the most productive thing you do today isn’t squeezing in one more task. It’s leaving enough space for your brain to catch up.
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