I am reading the book 'Your Brain At Work – Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus and Working Smarter All Day Long' by David Rock. I am only a chapter or two into it but I thought I would share a few thoughts.
Just like our bodies need fuel for movement, our brains need fuel. Focused thinking take much more energy than doing something like driving a car. We tend to drive our cars on automatic pilot but creative thinking takes real effort. Just like our body, our brain can't run at top speed all day. We need to take a break and do more mundane jobs throughout the day to give our brain a break.
We need to feed our brain. Like pandas whose diet almost entirely consists of eating bamboo, our brain's only source of fuel is glucose which is moved through our body in our bloodstream. When we don't eat, the glucose levels become depleted and our brain gets starved for energy. We find we can't think through an issue, can't stay focused and generally feel 'fuzzy'. Avoiding this downtime is a very good reason to keep our bodies fueled with the right foods consistently through the day.
In addition, we are all different. We need to figure out when we can do our best thinking and when we need to focus on the more mundane jobs of the day. Prioritizing your day is hard work for your brain. That is why at certain times of the day we are unable to figure out what we should be doing, we get distracted, can never get organized and waste time.
Working smarter all day long involves understanding our bodies and designing your work day so that you are making the best use of your time.
I will continue to share thoughts that come to me as I read this book.
Is there a book that you have enjoyed reading and would like to share here? I would love to hear from you.
