Do you THINK at work?

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I am in IT Service Delivery for more than 11 Years now. And most of the folks in this group are also in some way or other related to same function. Being in Service Delivery function of the organization, we need to clock 40 hours/week in a tool to show our weekly productivity. I wonder if I can add 8 hours/week in the tool as 'Thinking' activity?

Let me ask you a question - 'Do you THINK at work?'. You might reply back saying 'Yes', if you are an Individual Contributor, or if you are a Manager you'll question back saying - 'Who does not?' :). So if you really THINK at work, why don't you clock those many hours as 'THINKING' activity in the tool? One of you may say 'The option does not exist in the tool'. If I further ask you another question - 'Does THINKING helps in increasing productivity & efficiency at work and derives new ways of doing work? And is it one of the necessary skills to possess?’ If you answer 'Yes' to this, then wouldn't it be nice to discuss the same with your team/group and have the option inserted in the tool?

I want you to try out this - When you are at work, free up your mind and pick one problem from your daily process, or your project, or your assignment, and then THINK on it for 15 - 20 mins, on how can you solve this. During THINKING don't look at anything distracting like PC Monitor or Hallway and don't sip any drink like Tea or Coffee. Just keep looking at something still like ceiling or the desk or the pen or the wall and keep Thinking. You know, what will happen? people will come to you and after keeping their hands on your shoulder they'll ask you - 'Are you worried about something?', 'If something is bothering you?', 'I can't see you sitting like this, anything I can help on?', etc etc. Yes, they can't let you think. The only acceptable mode at work is keep on working by either moving your mouse, or typing, or staring at your monitor.

Question is changed from 'Do you THINK at work?' to 'Can you THINK at work?'

Fact of the matter is, Customer is not going to pay for clocking the time as 'THINKING' activity, and people at work will start sympathizing(disturbing) you after looking at you not working, even when 'THINKING' is the most productive activity.

Hence from now on, you spread the word and give space to people at work to THINK, to empower them from their inner strengths to make them more Productive & Efficient, and let them derive new ways of approaching on same problems, eventually helping the Business they are in.