“Not all those who wander are lost.” - J.R.R. Tolkien
Ours is a culture that is mainly concerned with doing—from a young age we are encouraged to set our sights on a goal, dig in, and work hard to get the trophy. We value productivity; our national belief in meritocracy is supported by the promise that effort and hard work will yield rich rewards. Our razor sharp focus on hard work may be wearing us down, draining the American worker, as many companies report that employee stress levels are at all-time highs. Even before the pandemic, 60 percent of working adults in the United States reported some level of burn out, reporting feelings that their work schedules impaired their ability to enjoy life. We assume that our unhappiness is due to the long hours required in most workplaces. That assumption, however, is simply not supported by the evidence. In 1914, the average work week was 55 hours, with some workers clocking in 72 hours to keep up demands related to World War I. Our average work week today runs about 40.2 hours, which includes paid holidays, vacations, and other days off. In 1926, Henry Ford started the 40-hour work week; workers in 1914 rarely got time off. If we are working fewer hours in 2023, what is making us so miserable?
The 9 to 5 work week was not made mainstream by Henry Ford for humane reasons. He and other factory owners noticed that the peak productivity level for their workers averaged around 40 hours per week, after which quality decreased sharply. To keep his factories operating at maximum efficiency, Ford instituted an 8-hour workday, Monday through Friday, based on precise calculations related to efficiency.
Our feelings of burnout are fueled by the role work plays in our lives. Our workday is no longer a discrete period of time. In my first “real” job at an employment agency, I got into the office at 8:30 am, packed up my desk at 4:55 pm, and was out the door by 5:00 pm. The boundaries between work and leisure were well defined. When I left the office on Friday, I did not have any contact with my boss until 8:30 am on Monday. Even for those higher-level executives who worked longer hours, their day ended once they locked the office door behind them. With the existence of cell phones, email, texts, and virtual meetings, we are connected and available at all times of the day. Work travels with us no matter where we go.
Unlike the office environment in my first job, there are numerous distractions in today’s workplace, most of which are generated by our phones. Not only can technology keep us tethered to work 24/7, but it can also make it harder for us to fully engage when we are working. Productivity is at its highest when we can sustain uninterrupted attention to a task, but the brain needs a break from time to time. We face an onslaught of distractions in our environment—both at work, school, and home, some of which are self-generated, such as reading texts, and others that are out of our control. All these interruptions make it hard for us to keep focused and complete tasks efficiently. Much of our day is spent "task switching", a process in which our attention is interrupted, we attend to something else, then need to reestablish our attention to the task at hand. Task switching makes work take much longer; we end the workday more exhausted due to the extra, but unnecessary, effort.
We all know that distractions are exhausting, but research suggests that what may really be driving our unhappiness on the job could be related to how we disengage from our work; that is, we may not be getting the rest we need to sufficiently refuel. It seems we may be good at taking breaks, but when we do, we don’t give ourselves the right fuel to replenish our mental energy. Our unhappiness and stress may have less to do with work than it does with how we rest and recover.
Sustained attention is one way we process information. When we are focused on a task the brain’s “task-related networks” filter out distractions so that we can complete the task at hand. Most research shows that most of us can sustain attention on a task for a limited amount of time; for challenging and rewarding work, people might stay focused for 90 minutes or more. Dopamine helps narrow our visual and auditory world and increases our motivation, so tasks that we enjoy will require far fewer breaks than menial or boring work. A sure sign that your task-related networks are not working well is when you cannot filter out distractions—a sure sign that your sustained attention has reached its limit.
Staying focused requires energy so it only makes sense that we should take breaks when we find it difficult to stay focused. Studies show that even a break of 10 minutes can significantly reduce cognitive fatigue. Some research suggests that what we do during a break may be more important in avoiding burnout than the length of time or number of breaks we take. It seems the path we choose to restore our attention makes all the difference in how well we recover from brain fatigue.
What do people do when they need a break? Studies have shown that many people turn to the internet, scrolling through social media or playing games online. Although these pursuits create breaks from the task at hand, they do not offer the brain any rest. Activities such as games, social media, and shopping require a certain level of sustained attention. Essentially, you are shifting your attention from one task to another that also requires focus, perhaps not as intensely. The task related network does not get an opportunity to recharge.
Perhaps a better strategy would be to become unfocused, to do what most of us do not want to get caught doing—daydreaming. For a long time, we thought daydreaming was what the brain did when we weren’t focused. Appropriately named the default mode network, it was assumed that it turned off when our attention was directed and sustained, then dominated when our attention relaxed. Although it is under debate, there is growing evidence that our capacity for mind wandering isn’t just a default mode, but an important type of attention that is essential for our overall well-being and ability to overcome burnout and stress.
The default mode network includes a set of regions in the brain that become more active during passive tasks that do not require focused attention, essentially when the brain is unrestrained and relaxed. These regions are scattered throughout the brain. They are related to internal thoughts, memories, as well as thinking about and imagining the future. Brain imaging research has shown that these areas light up when the mind is wandering and form connections with each other. This connectivity is associated with creativity, suggesting that mind wandering plays a role in our capacity for inspiration. It helps us make sense of the world, integrates disparate information into a solid narrative and is essential in helping us organize our world.
When our mind wanders, it makes new connections which can help us solve problems more creatively. The brain needs space to integrate our experiences; sustained attention does not give the brain an opportunity to make these connections. When we are daydreaming, more thoughts are allowed to unfold, providing more opportunities for creative associations. This is why we come up with our best ideas in the shower, walking the dog, or listening to music. Mind wandering is the brain’s preferred mode for cultivating those “Aha!” moments.
Mind wandering can be restorative, but only under the right conditions. It works best when we are relaxed and only when we feel safe. In high stress environments, mind wandering sours into rumination, and we find ourselves entangled in endless loops of negativity as we imagine worse case scenarios. Under the right circumstances, however, science is suggesting that sustained attention is not the only way for us to be productive. Allowing our minds to roam provides a haven from the constant push of the external world, allowing us to digest our experiences, make divergent connections, and find a fresh perspective.
In our outcome-oriented world, we place a great deal of emphasis on action, goals, and work. But health and wellness don’t grow in an environment that continuously pushes. Our bodies and minds need space and time to be restored. Frequently, it is in rest we find the most effective cure. Throughout June we will look at how rest and restoration are an essential part of making us stronger, healthier, and perhaps help us cultivate a more vibrant version of who we are. We’ll look at the role recovery plays in muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness and the role taste plays in building or reducing our energy. Importantly, we’ll look at the important role sleep plays throughout the lifetime and how it contributes to our overall health in both subtle and direct ways.
What do you do to rest your attention? The next time your brain needs a break, see what happens when you spend a few minutes doing nothing. Find a favorite chair or place where you feel relaxed and allow your mind to do, well, nothing. Importantly, turn off your phone and minimize your distractions. Mind wandering has been described as mental time travel that can take us to the past, linger in the present, or imagine our future. Let go, let things be, and enjoy the journey!