The cult of productivity in modern society forces everyone to strive to be more diligent, competitive, and successful, but not more relaxed. At school, teachers push children to compete for high grades. In adult life, the competition continues, but instead of grades, it's about money. Schools or companies are more concerned with external indicators; a person's internal state is not the focus. This kind of separation of a part from the whole is unnatural and dangerous. After all, external creativity and achievements depend on the internal side—mental and physical health.
When my brain feels like it's boiling and everything starts to seem meaningless, I know exactly what will help me—a pie. Healthy eating, sleep, and exercise are extremely important for brain function and overall health. But I would like to focus on one subtlety—the "philosophy of pies," understanding which gives more control over creativity.
Remember the movie Men in Black 3, where agents J and K, as always, save the planet? When the tension reaches its peak, K authoritatively tells his partner that they need a pie. Despite J's indignation, they go to a café and order pies. It works. Lunch at the café leads the agents to the solution of the puzzle. What is so special about pies?
Of course, the point is not in pies; it could have been croissants or cherry dumplings. The food itself is not the main thing. The point is that our brain is most productive when alternating peak loads with rest breaks.
Yes, intensive work is indispensable, but rest is also necessary. Rest without mental effort is unlikely to work. Intensive brain strain without breaks will lead to a decline in creative potential (especially in the long run). You should not turn your work into hell, if only because it is counterproductive.
J and K were not just eating pies; they were talking about topics that seemed to have no relation to their mission. Conversations on unrelated topics, paradoxical as it may seem, can enhance creativity. The key is to know the measure.
Thus, the "philosophy of pies" is not just a snack. It is a break at the right time and in the right place, aimed at restoring cognitive resources, relieving tension, and finding new ideas.
Here's what a "creative" break looks like according to Men in Black 3:
- Intense intellectual work precedes the break (they were thinking about how to save the world);
- They hit a dead end (faced with a mysterious problem);
- Took a break to have a snack (those very pies);
- Changed the setting (comfortably settled in a cafe);
- Lowered stress levels (yes, mood significantly affects creativity, so chasing an alien is not the most creative environment);
- Distracted from the problem (K's personal life and football);
- Waited for the solution to come and returned to action with renewed energy (the solution seemed to find itself).
Perhaps Agent K's subconscious already knew the answer, but first, it was necessary to ease the focus on individual facts so that other information could penetrate the consciousness.
A flash of understanding occurs when there is no verbosity of thought.
Jiddu Krishnamurti
It often happens when the solution to a problem or new ideas seems to arise by themselves. You’ve probably had insights while taking a shower or going for a walk. For example, Susan Collins came up with the idea for The Hunger Games while she was tired and flipping through random TV channels, watching plots about the Iraq War and reality shows where participants competed for a prize.
The method with a snack works in a similar way. The difference lies in a greater degree of control—you take a break when necessary, and then return to work. You control this. By the way, instead of a snack, it could be a walk or just a short chat with a colleague about how the weekend went.
In psychology, the stages of intense thinking and relaxation are called fixation and incubation. Incubation can have a particularly positive effect in solving divergent problems. When we allow our attention to weaken its fixation on a specific problem, other information from memory or external sources can come into focus. In the movie, we see a similar situation, where the agents find a clue to the problem's solution from a random conversation about football.
Creativity is just connecting things.
Steve Jobs
It is important to understand that loosening focus can distract us from the current solution, and as a result, we may lose valuable ideas. However, if our thinking leads us to a dead end, such a distraction will only be beneficial. Therefore, it’s not worth taking a break when you feel you’re on the right track and everything is going well. A break should be taken when you realize that the solution is wrong, you have no ideas, or you cannot develop an initially good idea.
Even if you exactly repeat all the steps of the movie characters, insight might not occur. There is no guarantee that pies will work every time. However, from my own experience, I can say that breaks work quite often.
Another important nuance of the "philosophy of pies" is that even if you think you can’t find a better idea, that’s not necessarily the case. Moreover, an insight might turn out to be wrong. Therefore, every solution, no matter how creative, needs to be reviewed after some time. It’s like editing a text you wrote yourself the next day.
It’s also worth noting that the information gathering should be preceded by intensive thinking. Just as muscles don’t grow out of nowhere, a solution to a problem doesn’t emerge from emptiness. Knowledge is the protein necessary for the growth of ideas. The amount and time of information gathering depend on the nature of the task. This can take hours or weeks. Sources of such information can be books, memories (yes, our memory contains much more than it seems), or a random conversation, as happened in the movie.
Summary
Everyday intellectual tasks and the abundance of information at work or school require a high intensity of brain activity. However, stressful working conditions often make our consciousness like a spotlight on stage: much escapes our attention.
When intensity reaches its peak, after which you feel a drop in productivity, it's better to allow yourself to be a bit like the Men in Black and take a break for a pie. A small rest, as a way to distract yourself, will only add creativity to your mind. Our brain is most creative when alternating between intense work and breaks.
In addition to short breaks during the workday, you should not neglect weekends. The lack of vacations and weekend rest can also negatively affect productivity. A vacation is also a great stimulus for the brain: new experiences inspire and recharge you.
In reality, if you want to be effective in what you do, you have no choice but to occasionally distract yourself from your activities. Rest is not a luxury; it is a necessity for maintaining creativity. You can always find time for a "piece of pie," even if you are saving the planet.