Some jobs require long hours in the office to get the job done. Other roles lead to people spending long hours simply because of their company culture, or because they want to look like they’re working hard.

Regardless, besides the toll this puts on our personal lives, I’m not sure that more time is necessarily the answer.

It might help us to be more productive simply since we’re putting in more hours (although that factor itself is up for debate), but I think it’s rarely that these long hours make us more effective.

For most knowledge workers, the real value that we bring is by making connections. By solving problems and finding solutions that weren’t there before.

These aren’t time-based tasks.

I can’t tell you how long I would need to sit in an empty room before I come up with a strategic breakthrough that can help to guide our work in a new direction. Sometimes ideas some in a 15-minute brainstorming session, sometimes I can spend all day on a task and not get anywhere. No matter how hard I’ve tried, I haven’t been able to figure out how to make breakthroughs simply by spending more time trying.

Many of the best ideas I’ve had come when I’m not actively working. They come when I’m reflecting on the day while driving home, or while I’m in the gym thinking about anything other than work.

If anything, I find that I’m more creative and I come up with better ideas as I spend more time away from the office rather than simply sitting at my desk.

Once a path is set, maybe we can execute more effectively by spending more time actively working.

But if the goal is to create something that wasn’t there before, more time in the office isn’t the answer.

-Brandon