Benefiting at work from Brain Based Insights

Do you find yourself sleepy in the afternoon … at work? After lunch at a conference I gave on the brain last week … I fought to regain focus all afternoon. Following my sandwich, chips and cookie… I’d lost mental momentum … and with it went my fast paced facilitation tactics used before lunch. I’d also broken  a commitment made to myself many years ago – to eat only after a conference and not during one…. There are several ways to surge brainpower during an afternoon session … when you depend on sharper thinking and focused solutions. Each brain surge here is based on the fact that your brain rewires daily … based on what you do….

1. Avoid heavy meals before afternoon sessions where you want to think … apply new ideas … or in my case … facilitate others! If you eat a huge lunch during mentally challenging days … your brain could appear to abandon you – for its more pressing job of digesting and processing foods…. Instead…  drink more water to fuel and energize your brain.  

2. Actively seek creative ideas and your brain will rewire to apply these. Hear what people discuss and ask questions to help you apply creative ideas to your own work. Practice tactics to get more from a smarter you …

3. Observe more people around you and discuss opposing views, to learn from differences people bring.  Can you describe a key problem at work … from a woman’s perspective if you are male… and for a man’s perspective if you’re female?  Trick your brain into yielding new answers for a problem you encounter at work.

 4. Build goodwill with those who disagree … and run from worry. Since each brain is wired differently, you can challenge yours at any moment with questions that make learning an adventure. How could careful observation of people around you … lead to more unique contributions welcomed across cultures, genders and individuals? What will you do differently today because of this deliberate interaction with others around you?

5. Grab a 20 to 30 minute siesta ... and reboot your brain … but avoid snoozing beyond that 30 minute-stage of your sleep cycle. Once you pass the 30 minutes, it’s best to sleep for 90 minutes and then you’ll wake up refreshed and ready to take on the world with new gusto! 

6. Take tone to a new level at work… regardless of tone used around you. Build new neuron pathways beyond blame. See online  tone as a way past diminishing words heard at times in your department … and build a stronger community through … or promote success through online tone. Ask a question that can reboot a team’s brainpower before it flops.

7. Complain less and solve more…. Plan to work alone on a project … and get to know yourself at a new level. Become friends with you … stick a neuron in your head … and laugh. Imagine places you’d like to travel. Play music you enjoy… as you work….Use your beliefs for business breakthroughs….

8. Find somebody you admire … who is trying to change things for the better … to encourage … support … and emulate at work. Rewire your own brain for growth … by practicing one or two traits of a brain based change agent.

9. In much the same way as described in 10 Practices That Boost Your Business Brain Before Lunch you can capture the wonders of an afternoon … by trying out different brainwaves for different tasks.  Re-pattern your brain waves  … by solving a stubborn problem … or even by changing one belief you’ve held. 

10. When there’s too much work to do … golf!  In fact … golf  whenever you get the chance…. Ok, I’m biased … but I just won the Rotary district golf tournament this year after a few times getting away from work to relax on the links. Turns out it sharpened my brain for all kind of problem solving in golf and business. On the course I came up with the outline for an invited article on the brain at capital Magazine… I planned a brain conference for retired professionals… and I found time to laugh with and plan several future projects with The MITA  brain Based Center , Senior VP… Dr. Robyn McMaster…. Where else could you get all that return few a green fee?

Why not try one tip after lunch today to  increase your brain’s efficiency … and let us know tomorrow how well it worked for you.