Relax, Don't Worry: The Brain Science of Productivity

veryone you meet these days is overworked and out of time. In our tech-enhanced world, we have more timesaving helpers and systems than ever before.

So, why isn't there enough time to juggle our work, home and health responsibilities? We have an enhanced quality of life, but we're also adding to our stress levels by taking on more tasks than we have resources to handle.

There's a tremendous need for new methods, systems and, above all, habits to keep us on track.

Information Fatigue

You've probably already discovered that whichever system or calendar you're using to track projects and priorities is important, but limited. As management guru Peter Drucker explains:

"In knowledge work...the task is not given; it has to be determined. 'What are the expected results from this work?'...is the key question in making knowledge workers productive."

We haven't been taught to think deeply about our work before we undertake it. Thinking in a concentrated manner to define desired outcomes is something few people do. But outcome thinking is one of the most effective methods available for creating successful realities.

Brain Clutter

Many of us have experienced working in the "zone," where creative processes flowed and we lost all sense of time. This happens when we use our right brain hemisphere. Right-brain thinking is essential for innovation. It functions like an artist, concerned only with the present moment.

In contrast, the left brain supplies logic and linear thinking; it's concerned with time and numbers. It reminds us of tasks left undone, prior experiences we need to consider and future deadlines. It functions more like a banker.

Instead of allowing our minds to perform optimally, many of us fill our brains with daily life's mundane details and rules. Worse, we spend endless hours repeating the tasks and projects we're trying to juggle.

You need a functional system to hold these details until the appropriate time, when you can systematically tick off as many tasks as possible to clear your mind again. Writing things down on a to-do list is a good first step, but it's not enough.

What's Wrong With To-Do Lists?

As we struggle to multitask, we find there are too many things that are out of alignment with our current sense of reality. To cope, we put them on "the list," which can grow to gargantuan proportions. Often, this list is nothing more than names of pressing projects written on numerous pieces of papers, often kept in several discrete places.

Here's what's missing from our lists:

1. A clearly identified intended outcome
2. A specific next-action step to be taken
3. Reminders of outcomes and action steps in a reliable system

Do you wonder if your behaviors are helping or hurting you?

Visit my website and click on "Take a Free Assessment" for your free behavioral assessment. 

"Every time you wake up and ask yourself, "What good things am I going to do today?", remember that when the sun goes down at sunset, it will take a part of your life with it."

- Indian Proverb

Hope is Not a Strategy, The 6 Keys to Winning the Complex Sale ,
Rick Page, Published by Nautilus Press

Business to business selling has never been easy. In difficult economic times, the ability to sell strategically becomes much more important. The difference between the companies that win or lose are the ones that can sell and mange their customer base the best.

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Hope Is Not a Strategy: The 6 Keys to Winning the Complex Sale