6. THE DURATION TIMELINE
* Duration is different from a moment in time. In business, absolutely everything is better when it’s shorter. So your goal should be to organise the time it takes to generate ideas to be as short as possible.
* Time is a relative concept, so the definition of ‘short’ will be directly linked to the medium you have chosen (see 2: The Right Medium).
* An instinctive reaction to a task may only take a few minutes in a phone call, in response to a one-sentence email brief, or when popping your head round the door to answer a question. Aim for short wherever possible, so long as it solves your problem.
* People start to get bored in meetings after 30 minutes.
* Energy, attention levels and idea productivity start to dwindle as time elapses.
* If the complexity of the task, the personnel, the venue and the timing of the event can justify a longer time span such as a day, or even two, then think very carefully about how to pace it. Map out the meeting in minimum segments of 30 minutes, including regular breaks and injecting thought-provoking interventions and exercises regularly.
EXERCISE: Examine the task. First ask what the shortest possible duration might be in which it could be addressed. Imagine that’s all the time you have. Now draw up a plan of how to use the time in the most productive way.