5 Ways to Reboot Your Brain
How We Can Reframe and Calm Our Brain from Information Overload
It’s our job is to mind your business. We care about your health, well-being, productivity, and success. Sometimes we get personal. I want to know, how was your weekend–really?
In our coaching design, we generally cover four areas:
Review
Reflect
Resource
Refocus
Often, these four just come conversationally, but we understand that you need to Reflect on how things are going. As I ask questions about how people are doing, I get a lot of comments about information overload. That can become a real problem and we shouldn’t ignore it. If you’re not experiencing information overload, in the interest of avoiding it, disregard the rest of this blog post for now and just refer back to it if you find your focus diminishing from overload at a later time.
It is so important to get refreshed and walk away for a while. The weekend is a good time for that. Your team, your clients and your family are counting on you, and we know you are counting on us. But you may be coming back to your work today with some dread. Not just the normal Monday Blues, but something that needs to be addressed so you can function at a high level. Let’s identify whether you are one of the many victims of information overload and, if so, recognize what we can do about it.
Information overload can pollute your mind and put the health of your brain at risk. While we need information at a time like this, too much irrelevant data coming at us quickly can cause an information attack. Even though according to recent research our brains can store as much information as contained on the internet, we cannot absorb the information that quickly.
The symptoms of information overload can include:
Slower decision making
Increased blood pressure
Lower productivity
Blurred vision
Difficulty concentrating
Lack of energy
If this is still a struggle for you after a weekend off, then you may need to design a way to address the plethora of information coming your way and give your brain a reboot.
So, keep reading for five ways to Reboot your Brain and Combat Information Overload:
1. RECOGNIZE WHAT IS GOING ON
That’s why we started with the symptoms. You cannot fix something if you don’t see the problem. Particularly when others cannot see you, they cannot always tell if you’re on Information Overload. Even when they can see you, remember, they cannot read your mind. You need to communicate, in an appropriate way, if you are not able to reply or participate in a meeting or activity.
2. FILTER YOUR ATTENTION
There is really no such thing as multi-tasking. If you are finding yourself easily distracted these days, refer to my article Driven to Distraction: 10 Ways to Stay Focused on What’s Most Important.
You can also filter email and block project work on your calendar. Most importantly, it is up to you to decide what is important and what is not at this time, including the Bernie Blast. I will not be insulted if you decide to skip over it if the title is not speaking to you at present.
3. GIVE YOUR BRAIN BRIEF BREAKS
Intentionally break your concentration periodically. A one to two-hour period is about as long as you should go without a mental break. If you need one every ten minutes, see if you can work your way up. You can reward yourself with these mental breaks and they can be more productive than coffee breaks.
4. THINK ABOUT WHAT SHIFTS IN COMMUNICATION NEED TO BE MADE
As a result of COVID-19, a lot has changed in terms of how much and how frequently we are communicated to and communicating with others. From Safer at Home rules issued in some states creating a home-bound workforce to tumultuous marketing, out-of-work clients and toddlers without a place to go, we have had to take in data, adjust and refocus. Some teams are disconnected and disjointed, while others are over-communicating and interrupting workflows. Consider what needs to be done to get to the right amount of information both inbound and outbound and make the adjustments.
5. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF
I cannot say this enough. You cannot help others when you are out of oxygen.
What’s great about coaching is we can provide personalized, just-in-time support and resources.
If you need to pick up your communication for this kind of support right now contact one of our coaches, Kris Hartland.
About the Author
Bernie DeLaRosa, CFP®, ChFC®, CRPC®, CLU®, APMA®, CASL®, BFA™
Managing Business Consultant
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