# Do Something Else By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2022-09-10 It’s easy enough to develop a myopic focus. Once one determines something is important it follows naturally that one would give that thing attention. As an analyst, one’s project can become seductive. The problem, hopefully, is engaging. The results, ideally, will be impactful. One can envision the satisfaction that will come from resolving a technically challenging problem, and maybe a bonus or promotion from doing exceptional work. To the degree that solutions result from direct attention, this approach is solid. However, some of the most creative and effective thinking is lateral. Lateral thinking is indirect. As such, lateral thinking requires one to develop the ability to do something else. There is a paradox here that holds implications for those working in organizations. Stated simply, doing something unrelated to one’s assigned task can be an important part of working on the assignment. There is certainly any number of things that could be beneficial for sparking the benefits of lateral thinking. Only one will be developed here as an illustration. Let’s assume that one finds a creative outlet from playing guitar. An analyst could be unremarkable on the instrument. The point isn’t that one plays well, the point is that through playing guitar the analyst is potentially unlocking creative solutions to the assigned task. Doing something else can be an important part of accomplishing one’s assigned work. Human activity is complex. Simple understandings fail us. Undoubtedly, one is familiar with the saying, “the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.” That this insight has application potential in some contexts does not mean that it is universally applicable. It has very little relevance when it comes to humans working on challenging problems in complex systems. When one is faced with these challenges the most direct way to work on the creative aspects of a problem might be to do something else. #### Related Items [[Analytics]] [[Complex Systems]] [[Thinking]] [[Lateral Thinking]] [[Creative]] [[Organizational Analytics]]