Renaldi Adrian

Have you ever been so focused on solving a problem that hours pass by without finding a solution? Then, you take a bathroom break—prompted by nature’s call—and suddenly, an idea or solution comes to mind.

People around me often joke that the bathroom is the source of inspiration. In reality, your brain simply need a “refresh.” After hours of stress, a short break gives your mind a chance to reset and approach the problem with fresh energy. That’s the power of novelty.

During World War II, psychologist Mackworth conducted a study to understand human focus. He created the “Mackworth Clock,” a device that functioned like a regular clock but would randomly skip a second. The test subjects’ task was to press a button whenever they noticed the skip.

Here’s what Mackworth found: the quality of the subjects’ attention declined after just 30 minutes. It only takes half an hour for us to start losing focus.

The concept of novelty isn’t limited to our work; it also applies to the products we use daily, especially digital platforms. Have you ever seen a digital product remain popular without introducing new innovations at least once a year? Likely not. These platforms consistently roll out new features to adapt to the dynamic market, sparking curiosity and reengaging our minds. Take social media, for example—it keeps us scrolling by presenting new posts and videos, reengaging our attention span with every scroll.

As Josh Kaufman states in The Personal MBA:

“Even the most remarkable object of attention gets boring over time. Continue to offer something new, and people will pay attention to what you offer.”

The book The Cold Start Problem by Andrew Chen also addresses this issue, particularly highlighting how the effectiveness of advertising has significantly declined. This decline is often due to a lack of novelty—for example, relying on generic banners or mass-produced email ads that is not very effective to engage our attention.

If novelty is that important in business because it affects human psychology, it’s equally important to our brain. For example, as I mentioned earlier, when you’re pooping, you feel a sense of relief, which helps release stress. This is where the idea comes in.

So, take a break every 30 minutes or so. I know from experience that the urge to keep trying to solve the problem can be very itchy. But sometimes, taking a step can make you jump five steps ahead.

Last but not least, if you want to have even brighter idea after you poop, I hope this article could help you in your journey: Garbage In, Garbage Out: The Role of Input in Our Lives