Latest from Columnist

Photo 111717978 © Sarawut Nirothon | Dreamstime.com
Photo 280787037 © Dzmitry Dzemidovich | Dreamstime.com
Dreamstime L 280787037
Photo 186133805 © Auremar | Dreamstime.com
Dreamstime L 186133805
ISE Columnist Sharon Vollman

6K Thoughts Per Day? Really?

Sept. 1, 2021
Mind race much? Recent research says most of us deal with 6,000 thoughts each day. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a CEO, a director, or a field tech — you’re […]
ISE Columnist Sharon Vollman
ISE Columnist Sharon Vollman

Mind race much? Recent research says most of us deal with 6,000 thoughts each day. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a CEO, a director, or a field tech — you’re stuck with a busy brain.

I sometimes wonder if my brain is an overachiever, on a mission, to break the 6K thought threshold each day. It seems my work thoughts won’t clock out after the day has ended. Even worse, my to-do list scrolls repeatedly through my brain when I’m NOT working! It doesn’t care whether I’m hiking, playing pickleball, or trying to Zen during a yoga class. What kind of brain does this to a person?!

I’ve tried heeding my smart device’s guidance to breathe when this happens. I’ve experimented with apps promising to meditate my thoughts into harmless background noise. I’ve listened to calming spa music and told my brain to STOP when it squirrels to unpleasant places. 

Still, my brain is uncooperative. 

That’s why I’ve decided to get more aggressive to reduce the number of thoughts that invade my life each day.

How, you ask? I start by killing the little monsters on my to-do list while they are still small. Before they know what hit ‘em, I determinedly complete and cross them from my list with a dramatic swipe of my pen. (Yes, I’m old school and still use things like pens.)

But, what about the remaining untamable to-dos that stalk me after the others have been eradicated? How do I handle those wicked larger monsters that just won’t leave me alone? 

Food for Thought from Our 2022 ICT Visionaries

First, I don’t give them the pleasure of knowing they might defeat me. Secondly, I research until I find a solution that renders those gigantic, intimidating problems helpless. (Cue the triumphant background music, please.)

That’s the same approach we take at ISE. We research and gather the best network transformation solutions that can dominate both the big and small monsters on your to-do list. 

All you have to do is join us in this fight. 

Are you with me? We can do this! 

Together, let’s commit to reducing those 6,000 daily thoughts to a lower, more manageable number that we can handle.

Say, 5,900 or so?

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-17255-9

Like this Article?

Subscribe to ISE magazine and start receiving your FREE monthly copy today!

About the Author

Sharon Vollman | Editor-in-Chief, ISE Magazine

Sharon Vollman is Editor-in-Chief of ISE Magazine. She oversees the strategic direction and content for ISE Magazine. She also leads the educational content development for ISE EXPO. Vollman has created educational partnerships with the major communications and entertainment providers including AT&T, Verizon, CenturyLink, Frontier Communications and Cincinnati Bell. She has covered the telecom industry since 1996. Prior to that, she worked in advertising with Ogilvy & Mather and CME. Vollman has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism/Advertising from the University of Iowa.