Thinking Time in Healthcare: Popular Promise, Limited Evidence — A Review of Online Discourse
Abstract
In healthcare, the importance of taking time to 'think deeply' about a challenge or an opportunity is especially important because decisions often require healthcare leaders to integrate uncertainty, competing priorities, patient values, and the best available evidence. Deliberate pauses for reflection, often called "thinking time," are widely promoted as a way to enhance creativity and productivity, yet most public guidance comes from blogs and online media rather than scientific research. This review examined how thinking time is portrayed in popular online discourse, with the aims of exploring how it is defined, what benefits and outcomes are emphasized, what daily durations are recommended, and what strategies are proposed for its implementation. We searched Google (2015–2025) for English-language blogs and articles explicitly discussing thinking time and extracted data on authorship, publication type, use of references, recommended durations, benefits, outcomes, and implementation strategies. One hundred articles were included. Most were published in the past five years, written by individuals with post-secondary education, and presented as personal blogs. Seventy percent provided no references, and few cited scientific sources. Benefits were most often linked to creativity and innovation. Recommended amounts were heterogeneous and were most often expressed weekly (commonly 30–120 minutes per week, or approximately 4-15 minutes each day); where daily figures were given they ranged from a few minutes to several hours. Strategies included time blocking, reducing distractions, journaling, reflection, collaboration, and walking. Online discourse strongly endorses thinking time despite limited scientific evidence, highlighting the need for rigorous research to test optimal protocols and outcomes.
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Introduction
In healthcare, the importance of taking time to 'think deeply' about a challenge or an opportunity is especially important because decisions often require healthcare leaders to integrate uncertainty, competing priorities, patient values, and the best available evidence. The challenge, of course, is time constraints and competing priorities for time. But this needn't be a competing priority; rather, it should be an integrated habit across healthcare. Thinking is a uniquely human process that we spend most of our daily lives doing. While it often takes the form of spontaneous and undirected thought, such as mind wandering or daydreaming, we also can engage in deliberate, goal-oriented thinking to generate ideas and solve problems [1,2]. John Dewey described this type of thought as "the active, persistent, and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds that support it" [3]. In contemporary discussions of creativity, productivity, and leadership, deliberately setting aside uninterrupted time for deliberate, goal-oriented thinking, often referred to as "thinking time", has increasingly been promoted as a strategy for improving clarity, innovation, and decision-making [4].
Deliberate thinking time may therefore serve as a safeguard against premature closure, cognitive overload, and reflexive decision-making in complex clinical environments.
The current scientific research appears to suggest the utility of thinking time for creativity and innovation. For example, walking, a common activity used to facilitate thinking time, has been associated with increased divergent thinking [5]. More, thinking time can reduce time pressure and provide the opportunity for thought incubation, both of which are associated with creativity [6,7]. However, despite these indications from the current literature and its frequent recommendation by academics, there is virtually no scientific evidence specifically on the topic of thinking time [8,9]. As a result, most people seeking advice on how to integrate thinking time in their daily lives often rely on online content in the form of online blogs, productivity websites, and articles; online blogs are increasingly a major source of information due to their easy accessibility and affordability, and are regularly used for educational purposes [10].
Conclusion
Popular online discourse consistently frames thinking time as beneficial for stimulating creativity and innovation. Rather than converging on a single protocol, authors recommended a wide range of formats, most often a deliberately set-aside weekly block of roughly 30–120 minutes, with daily recommendations ranging approximately from 4-15 minutes. Strategies for implementation included time blocking, reducing distractions, journaling, walking, and collaboration. These findings highlight the potential of structured thinking time, yet underscore the lack of scientific evidence on the topic.
The review suggests that healthcare providers and leaders, who work in environments characterized by time pressure and complex decision-making, may benefit from incorporating brief, deliberate thinking sessions into their routines. However, rigorous research is needed to establish optimal protocols, validate claimed benefits, and develop evidence-based guidelines. Future studies should investigate definitions, optimal durations, formats, and contextual factors to bridge the gap between popular enthusiasm and scientific evidence.
References
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