Your brain @ work

Do you know how your brain works? Are you aware that a lot of us are not using our brain optimal? Do you have an idea how much easier work can be if we follow out brains’ needs?

Actually those are good questions, at least in my perspective and that’s the reason I read books from David Rock. One is “Coaching with the brain in mind” and the other “Your brain at work”. Latter is an easy read with tips and tricks.

As pharmacist I know that we can influence our brain with amount of sleep and kinds of food. But we also can enhance our brain capacity by making breaks, by writing down priorities in order to “clean” the short memory task box or by structure our day in different “task zones”, just to name some of the tricks.

I would love to elude a bit more on the “clean your brain” part, maybe because that’s one of the most difficult for me. It seems to me that my brain is just hungry to keep things “in”. I realize that when I talk colloquially to other people or when I sit down for a quiet meditation. Then lots of details “jump” into my mind. I’m aware of thousand things, little things, big things and there seems to be no order. My brain just loves to go with the flow.

Due to my meditation practice, I do not say “Stop” anymore when that happens but ” Great thanks, valid thought in a different context. Please come again when needed”.  You may ask yourself why I do that?  Maybe because I decided to interact with my brain as if it’s a little kindergarten. And isn’t it true that kids like to share at any time point what kind of great ideas they have. To say stop or no is a disappointment but honouring the effort and postpone to a later time point when really useful is much more resourceful. In my experience my thoughts then start to slow down, I can better focus on what I want to focus on: the conversation or “nothing”.

So there is a way to steer our thoughts even when you think there isn’t. As our brain does not understand the word no and because our brain works all the time, to treat it with respect and use it wisely does improve our overall performance as human-being. It’s worth a try and if you are just as curious as I am, then check out the books of David Rock.