Brain functioning tips to help you focus and get more done!
Many leaders that I work with tell me that they feel overwhelmed with how much they are asked to do. Quite simply too much to do plus too little time equals stressed! These same leaders search out time management techniques that will allow them to cram more into their very full days. But I wonder? Are they focusing on the right culprit? Is it really a lack of time? Or is it a lack of energy (mental energy that is)?
Here’s a easy to read Harvard Business Review article written by a medical doctor that helps us understand what goes on in our brains when we try to cram too much into our days:
Overloaded Circuits: Why Smart People Underperform - Dr. Edward M. Hallowell of the Hallowell Center, - HBR: January 2005
Attention Deficit Disorder – This is the focus area of Dr. Hallowell’s practice. Dr. Hallowell was seeing an emerging trend in his practice. Adults were showing up in his office, complaining of ADD symptoms, but their brain was functioning properly. In sum, they couldn’t focus – seem scattered and overwhelmed.
The Big Question: So what might be going on in the work environment that is causing the lack of focus?
Conclusion: Overloaded Circuits – Dr. Hallowell calls it ADT: Attention Deficit Trait
And here’s what’s going on in the brain… Fight or Flight versus Executive Functioning in the brain: fight or flight is the part of our brain that responds to crisis situations – gives us that adrenaline boost so we have extra energy to act now and act quickly. Executive Functioning – is the part of our brain that helps of focus on a problem, think through carefully, weigh the pros and cons, use reason and logic. Guess what – both can’t be on at the same time. So if we try to cram too much in, we start to get stressed, which triggers the fight or flight part of the brain, that kicks in the adrenaline and then revs us up and soon everything we see starts to look like an urgent situation – spiraling us into feeling frenzied – and not feeling very focused. Since Executive Functioning cannot be operating at the same time, good decision-making capability has vanished.
Dr. Hallowell offers over a dozen ideas on how to control your ADT. The central idea to controlling ADT – give yourself mental breaks – so flight or fight brain calms down, so executive functioning brain can step in.
Know How Practice: Apply it to your Own Leadership
Remember that your brain, like your body, needs periods of rest to maintain optimum performance. For the body overall – you know this – it’s 16 hours waking, 8 hours sleeping. For a muscle that your training – train one day – rest it for 24-48 hours – so it can rebuild. For the brain… it’s about 90-120 minutes of concentration to 10-15 minutes break. So apply this at work:
- About every two hours – take a short break (take a walk, chat with a colleague, call a loved one, surf your favorite blogs)
- Schedule your meetings – not for a full hour – for 50 minutes. You’ll get just as much done and you’ll give the gift of a break to everyone there. Who knows, they might even be able to get to their next meeting on time.
- When you give your precious evening time to work – do it in energy intervals. Set a timer – and give work just 90 more minutes tonight. [Pay attention to what happens to your productivity when you give more than that - ‘diminishing returns’ sets in.] Really, you’ll get more done in the morning if you get a good night’s rest. So STOP at 90 minutes and feel good about what you’ve accomplished. No one likes how it feels when you stop after diminishing returns sets in.
