In the rush to get everything done, we often leave our creativity “undone.” That's something we can no longer afford in today's work culture, where creativity is absolutely essential to survival.
Too Fast to Think is about how to get that creative spark back.
What is Too Fast t0 Think About?
The chief message of Too Fast to Think is that our world has become too “busy.” This feeling of “busyness,” however, isn't just an individual problem, it's a societal one with serious implications for the future.
This drive for “busyness,” according to the book, comes from society's demands on us, particularly from technology. As a result, our workdays are punctuated by welcome (and unwelcome) interruptions furnished by the technology in our lives. It's the social media notifications, email, spam, Facebook ads, blog posts, videos, podcasts, the printer that needs paper, phone calls, etc. that are calling for attention. These interruptions are growing in number and have no intention of stopping.
So we speed up … or at least we think that we do. We consume more information (often at the same time.) We scan the article. We click “Like” on the article without fully reading it. We eat in quick dashes while staring at a computer screen.
This need to “hurry up” all of the time decreases our time to process the information we are taking in. From the book's perspective, this “busyness” drains our creativity, individually and collectively. We take shortcuts in creating content (“Just stick a funny cat photo” on it), news (reporting “breaking news” before it's verified), our health (overworking), and business strategy (constant competition, not adapting).
The way out of this growing problem is by integrating the eight key traits discussed in the book into your life. Building a professional and personal life around these habits, which have historically been a part of people's lives, we start to allow more creativity into our lives. We stop chasing the appearance of being busy and paradoxically get better at getting the right things done, individually and as a society.
Author Chris Lewis is a former journalist and communications trainer who is the CEO and founder of LEWIS Global Communications, a marketing and communications agency.
What Was Best About Too Fast to Think?
The true power of Too Fast to Think is that it recognizes how our focus on “busyness” is affecting us on a level deeper than we might expect. In this way, Lewis's philosophy is similar to that expressed in the book Real Leaders Don't Follow, but it expands the conversation to a larger audience (global society.) If you've ever been concerned about the impact of the “cult of busyness” on our society, this book will detail how massive that impact can be.
What Could Have Been Done Differently
While Too Fast to Think may be a welcome read for any person who wants to achieve a more balanced life, the book needs more focus on helping readers incorporate the “eight creative traits” that are given as a solution. The book spends the majority of its time detailing the problem (we are just too busy), but only spends a small amount of time detailing what to do about it.
Why Read Too Fast to Think?
Too Fast to Think is best suited for the individual employee rather than the leader. In other words, the focus is on what the individual or society does, not on the business in between. If you are someone who is concerned that your personal productivity is suffering, this book gives you a broader perspective on the problem and details some solutions.
In short, if you wanted to be the person in your office who pushes back against the “culture of busyness,” this book will give you a starting point.
This article, "Too Fast to Think Looks at Getting Your Creativity Back In A Hyper-Connected World" was first published on Small Business Trends
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