The Event Boundary: a bad memory or great creativity

After several mental notes, the passenger-side breakaway mirror on my Jeep was still folded in to the passenger door — useless. Each time I arrived at my destination, I kept forgetting to pull the mirror back out. Because the mirror thing happened multiple times, I took a moment to think and analyze what was happening.

The answer wasn’t a bad memory but something called the event boundary. Researcher Gabriel A. Radvansky says that our brains re-set when we cross a threshold. It’s like going to another room to look for our keys — and forgetting why you’re there. A friend in Santa Fe, NM, carried an aluminum dog ladder in the back of her SUV. Her elderly pets used it to climb in and out of the vehicle. I visited and every time we used her vehicle the ladder made a clanking and clattering noise. On one trip, after “forgetting” the ladder yet again, she abruptly pulled over, got out in traffic and set the noisy thing on top of a pillow. Like my mirror, her event boundary kept changing her focus from fixing the noise in back to the restaurant or gallery ahead.

Tabula rasa is the Latin term for John Locke’s idea of being born with no innate ideas — a clean slate. As we leave a room, begin a meeting, start the car and cross a threshold, our brain reboots in order to be prepared for upcoming requirements rather than past events. Sometimes annoying, this event boundary un-clutters the mind so we can start fresh.

To avoid “forgetting” to do something important for your family or your business, use a physical token before passing through a threshold. Be it a note, a special pen, a paintbrush, a prototype or a rubber band on your wrist, take a symbol from a past world into your new space. All your brain needs is a gentle reminder on the dashboard or the boardroom.

The event boundary (also boundary effect or doorway effect) can be useful for strategically invigorating our creative juices. This means purposely crossing a boundary to let our minds wander. Many inventors hit the jackpot while engaging in off-task behaviors such as bicycling, walking or in the case of Archimedes and his theories of water displacement, taking a bath. If you want to be creative — move to another room. When you need to innovate — go somewhere else.

My personal story involves a type of plagiarism. Referred to as “unconscious plagiarism,” it’s when a musician hears a tune and unknowingly uses it later — George Harrison; Sam Smith. Or, an author strings lines of ideas together not remembering where he or she found the exact same words — Mark Twain; Helen Keller; Joe Biden.

In my case, a gentleman implied ownership of my invention.  He liberally referenced the technique when I was clearly documented as being the originator.  He published an average video recounting how he had leveraged the tool to win a multi-million dollar business deal.  I started out distressed and angry. Considering my options, I entertained social media commenting, legal threats, egging his house and even voodoo. Then, my dog expertly coerced me into renouncing my devious thoughts to take her for a walk.

Somewhere between the first and second poop bags, I passed through a threshold. My brain entered another space where the nasty video dilemma shone in a different light. It hit me that his video account was a fantastic testimonial for my invention. With some edits, my materials would now feature his brilliant video. My “pooch” boundary effect had cut off my limited thinking and spun my attention to an elegant, win-win solution.

Rick Griggs is the former Intel Corp. training manager and an inventor of the rolestorming creativity tool. He speaks on balance, teams and the confidence of Napoleon. rick.griggs83@gmail.com or 970-690-7327.

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