The average person checks
email 74 times a day,
and switches tasks
on their computer
566 times a day.
Researchers at USC
have found --
they're studying teenagers
who are on social media
while they're talking
to their friends
or they're doing
homework,
and two years
down the road,
they are less creative
and imaginative
about their own
personal futures
and about solving
societal problems.
So the next time you go
to check your phone,
ask yourself: What am
I really looking for?
Because if it's
to check email,
that's fine -- do
it and be done.
But if it's to
distract yourself
from doing the hard work
that comes with
deeper thinking,
take a break,
stare out the window
and know that
by doing nothing
you are actually being
your most productive
and creative self.
It might feel weird
and uncomfortable
at first, but
boredom
truly can lead
to brilliance.