Multitasking can only be effective if all but one of the tasks are embedded (non-conscious) routines, such as driving a familiar route or going through other mindless processes. The brain can only focus on one conscious task at a time. Avoid paying attention to non-urgent tasks until it’s truly essential that you do so. Get disciplined about what you do and do not think about. Your best-quality thinking lasts for a limited time. Memory starts to degrade when you try to hold more than one idea in mind.

The less you hold in your mind at once, the better. Use the brain to interact with this information rather than having to store, hold, and recall it. Delay or avoid other high-energy conscious activities such as dealing with email.Ĭreate visuals, storyboards, and/or lists to get important information out of the brain. Schedule your most important mental processes, such as prioritizing tasks, for when you have a fresh and alert mind. Conscious thinking is a precious and limited resource. Some mental processes take up a lot more energy than others. David Rock strikes a great balance between explaining how the brain works and providing simple actionable advice. This book is for anyone that wants to reduce stress, improve productivity, and collaborate more effectively with others. While many of the lessons are geared towards work life, several deal with home life scenarios as well. Your Brain At Work explains how to be more focused, stay cool under pressure, and increase creative insights by understanding how the brain operates.

And yet today we face more distractions than in the past. Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Email The ability to focus and do creative work is more valuable than ever.

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