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Your Brain at Work

5 October 2016

In his book “Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long”, David Rock helps us understand our brains a little better and gives insights into how the natural functioning of the brain affects our ability to keep focus and to avoid distractions, in other words, how to boost performance and stay effective all day long. The author uses simple terms to explain complex brain science. The book is structured like a play, watching the two main characters go through many of the same challenges we all face at work. Each situation is followed by easy-to-understand strategies and practical tips drawn from neuroscience, and then the same scene is “reenacted” with the application of the techniques to optimize brain functioning. We travel inside the brains of the two characters as they learn to survive, succeed and strive in today’s overwhelming work environment, and thus learn about our own brains at work.

 

The book explores issues such as:

• how to take advantage of the peculiarities of our brain;
• how to become better at managing distractions;
• how to maximize your chance to find insights;
• how to be better at controlling emotions to avoid conflicts, etc.;
• how to collaborate more effectively with others;
• how to increase your memory capacity;
• how to be more effective at changing other people’s behavior;
• etc.

 

Following a couple of professionals through their daily challenges and explaining applicable neuroscience concepts, the author reveals surprising facts about the functioning of our brains. For example:

• Some mental processes take up more effort than others, thus making their implementation more complex, like prioritizing, which is a very energy-intensive activity for the brain.
• Despite the popular belief that multitasking is effective, studies show quite the opposite. The brain is simply unable to stay focused on more than one thing at a time. Tasks 2, 3, 4, etc. will be inevitably neglected.
• Peak mental performance requires the right level of stress, which is unique for every person. Too much or not enough of it will greatly affect your performance.
• Several techniques can be used to regulate emotions. Depending on the situation, we can choose to avoid it, change it, reassess it, label our emotions, etc.
• Our brain is constantly looking for situations where we feel rewarded and flees others.

 

This book is highly recommended for all people with busy lives, who have to juggle between their work, family, marriage, leisure, etc., in short, for the majority of us.

 

Author: David Rock

 

Sylvie Grégoire, MBA, CRHA

President, Totem Performance organisationnelle