1 Regulate your emotions
When overly aroused by real or imagined dangers (overwhelm, stress, irritation, anger), the limbic system impairs your brain functioning in many significant ways. This reduced functioning often occurs without conscious awareness, and reduces the resources available for prefrontal cortex functioning (clarity, creativity and innovation). It is crucial to observe your “state” and try to manage it so that you find yourself in the prefrontal cortex, and less in the limbic part of your brain.
2. Switch between tasks
As an entrepreneur, we live in an era of “always on, everywhere, every time” - making decisions quickly and efficiently. This “always on” mode of keeping a toplevel item in focus, while scanning the
periphery in case something important emerges, increases the allostatic load (a reading of stress hormones). This is called “continuous partial attention”- when one’s focus is split continuously, and the effect is con-stant and intense mental exhaustion. To optimise your “always on” mode, be present when you are busy with a specific task. Then, move to the next task, and be all there.
3. Solve complex problems
Thinking takes time and effort. The brain likes to minimise energy usage because the brain developed at a time when metabolic resources were scarce. There is a slight discomfort involved in putting effort into thinking (if effort were fun, most households wouldn’t have dishwashing machines). Ensure that you schedule blocks for strategic, innovative, and creative thinking. It is ideal to be well-rested, well-fed and in a good space – preferably early morning.
4. Think creatively and flexibly
To think creatively you want blood to be flowing freely to all parts of your brain, carrying the glucose and oxygen needed for thinking. If you are stressed or overwhelmed the brain moves the blood supply away from the higher centres of the brain, down to what’s called survival mode. In this state, you are unlikely to be productive. Take time out and resolve these issues, and return to work as a more productive person. You will feel warmer towards people, be more likely to trust people.
You are also more likely to think creatively, and to deal with risk. David Rock mentions that becoming more present and mindful, activates and optimises executive functions. By noticing more real-time information, one becomes more flexible in how you respond to the world. You become less imprisoned by the past, your habits, expectations, assumptions, and more able to respond to events as they unfold.
Annemarie Ross
This business and life coach is the founder of MindskillsCoach, with a passion and focus to add value to people’s lives through helping individuals and business owners to optimise themselves and their businesses. The core of her coaching methodology lies in neuroscience and the impact of thoughts on the brain and neurochemical activation.