Category: My Brain

Post Holiday = Cold Start

Derwentwater Launch TripToday is the second time that I am returning from holiday in the last two weeks (I had a week off work, a week at work and then another week off).

Today is, therefore, my second cold start in the same period.

Cold starts are those occasions when you return having been away for a little while. Things have moved on and you haven’t.

  • Your email has piled up.
  • The anti-virus on your machines need updating.
  • Some of the software on your machine needs updating.
  • More updates on other machines that you use.
  • Projects that you were running with have carried on being progressed by someone else.
  • Business priorities have moved on.
  • Colleagues lives have moved on.
  • Of yes, and lots of blog to read.

It’s like I’m stood at the side of stream which I need to get back into the flow of.

I used to undertake these cold starts like an endurance competition. It didn’t matter how fast the stream was running I was going to jump in and start swimming.

These days I follow a different approach so that I don’t feel like I’m drowning.

  1. I turn on my mobile and change the voicemail message.
  2. I then start my main corporate laptop and start my IM/UM client. I know that if something is urgent the people who need me will chase me. This machine is likely to need some updates and want to be rebooted. I’ll delay the reboot until around lunch time so people can contact me in case of an urgent request.
  3. I’ll then sit down with a piece of paper and write out a list of things that need to be done today (yes, paper). This list will be everything for today. It won’t be a week plan or anything like that. It’s just today’s must do list.
  4. The first items on the must do list go something like this:
    1. Turn on all machines.
    2. Make coffee.
    3. Check diary for today.
    4. Listen to voicemail messages.
    5. Skim read blogs.
    6. Skim read email.
    7. Talk to colleague – about project x.
    8. Talk to colleague – about project y.
    9. Talk to colleague – for a chat.
    10. Tidy desk.
    11. Go for walk at lunchtime.
  5. There are a set of things I don’t do before I’ve done all of these:
    1. I don’t respond to any email.
    2. I don’t answer the phone from and number I don’t recognise.
    3. I don’t read any documents, slides, spreadsheets.
    4. I don’t start organising my inbox.
  6. Having done each of these things I then sit down with another piece of paper and start to plan the rest of the week.
  7. If there happens to be any time left I start to do things on the week plan.

I find that doing things in this structured way allows me to understand fully the priority of the various things. The main thing it does, though, is sort out the wheat from the chaff. If I respond to things too early I find that I am responding to things that are no longer an issue which is a waste of time.

The most important lesson that I am trying to bring out is this:

If there is something really important that needs to be done someone will let me know, I don’t need to go looking for it.

Concentrate, Concentrate!

Rain in Lancashire? Time for some fun.Today is my last day before a break from work and I need to get a couple of things out of the door before I go. So I’m posting this before I start to actually concentrate because I need to get down to it and not be distracted.

This year I have already looked at my brain and what I need to do to maintain its health. This has been mostly good and I’ve managed to increase my overall energy levels too. I still do things that I know aren’t good for my brain, I haven’t managed to turn myself into a brain ninja just yet but I’m getting there.

One of the areas where I still struggle is the area of concentration. It’s just too easy to all myself to be interrupted and very difficult to create the place of focus. It’s not as if I don’t know how to concentrate, it’s just not something that comes naturally.

Lifehack.org has 10 Tips for Razor Sharp Concentration and today I am going to follow them all.

  1. Cut off the noise – the phone is on silent as are all the other distraction. I’m listening to quiet classical music which helps concentration.
  2. Structure your environment – my environment is away from distractions, apart from the mess on my desk which I am about to tidy up.
  3. Clarify objectives – my next task is to plan the things that I need to get done, and only the things I need to get done.
  4. Divide blobs – my planning will be quite detailed because one or two of the things are going to require my concentration.
  5. Know the rules – I’m setting the rules on these tasks.
  6. Set a deadline – I have a deadline and it’s 17:00. I don’t believe in working late to get things done.
  7. Break down roadblocks – If there are any roadblocks they’ll probably need to wait until I’m back.
  8. Isolate yourself – I’m working from home today and everyone else is out.
  9. Healthy body, sharper mind – already been to the gym and had my fruit smoothie. Unfortunately one of the tasks for today is to meet a couple of colleagues for lunch which will impact my concentration this afternoon.
  10. Be patient – not my strongest point, but the planning process helps.

Let’s see if it works.

Happy Hour is 9 to 5

Picnic by DerwentwaterI used last weeks holiday as an opportunity to read Happy Hour is 9 to 5, I was one of the fortunate ones who got a free copy in the Christmas give away. I was going to read it over the Christmas break, but circumstances overtook.

For anyone not familiar with this book it’s written by Alexander Kjerulf who goes by the job title of: Chief Happiness Officer.

The basic premise of this book is that happiness at work is a good thing for everyone, and that the opposite is also true. The book is a great holiday read without too much detailed analysis of research, but with loads of practical examples and comments.

The book contains a number of exercises to use to assess your own happiness at work and to direct you towards finding greater happiness. It also provides exercises for managers. My current position doesn’t include managing people, but I’m often in situations where I indirectly manage people, and certainly provide their motivation.

I’ve finished reading the book, but I haven’t got the exercise done yet. I need to do the exercise because there will have been little point in reading the book if I don’t.

Even before doing the exercises, though, I am aware that my own attitude needs some work especially if I am going to regain an attitude to work that isn’t “Meh” but is “Yay” (see this section). That means making some changes, which requires some planning and some action. It’s also closely linked to the research on My Brain from last year.

Not sure that the The Order of the Elephant idea translates to UK culture though, will have to think about that one:

“Kjaer Group, a Danish company that sells cars in developing nations, introduced The Order of the Elephant a few years back. It’s a huge plush toy that any employee can award to any other, along with an explanation of why that employee deserves The Order. The praisee gets the elephant for a couple of days, and at two-feet tall it’s hard to overlook if it’s standing on that person’s desk.

Other employees stopping by immediately notice the elephant and go, “Hey, you got the elephant. What’d you do?”, which of course means that the good stories and best practices get told and re-told many times. This is an excellent, simple and cheap way of enhancing learning and happiness at work.”

from the What makes us happy at work? section of the book.

I’ve certainly witnessed the observation on meetings though:

Psychological experiments can be very devious, and this one was certainly no exception. The focus was meetings and the format was simple: Groups of people were asked to reach agreement on a contentious topic.

Here’s the devious bit: Unbeknownst to the other participants, one member of the group was an actor hired by the researchers. The actor was told to speak first in the discussions. In half the experiments he would say something positive, while in the other half he would start by saying something critical. After that he simply participated in the discussion like the other group members.

The experiment showed that when the first thing said in the meeting was positive, the discussion turned out more constructive, and people listened more and were more likely to reach a consensus. When the first statement was critical, the mood became more hostile, people were more argumentative and consensus became less likely.

The researchers concluded that the way a meeting starts has a large impact upon the tone of the discussion and on whether or not the group will eventually reach a consensus.

from the What makes us happy at work? section of the book.

Brain Sleep

On our way to the Chateau de DinanSleep has been a big issue over the last few days – and it’s reinforced to me the impact of sleep on the brain. The result was that by yesterday I was suffering from sleep deprivation. It’s a bit better today but not much.

This whole thing started on Friday when we had some people visiting for the weekend – little people. The little people slept OK, but had various coughs which disturbed the sleep pattern of the rest of the household. On Sunday the little people went home and I prepared for an early start on Monday.

There is something about an early start that means that I never get a good night of sleep before it.

Not only was Monday an early start it was a long day. The result was that I didn’t properly relax before going to bed – another night of sleep sub-standard sleep.

Last night Sue started with the cold that she was gifted to her by the little people.

I would love to have been able to measure my productivity yesterday afternoon. I am glad that I don’t operate heavy or dangerous machinery because I was in no fit state. I felt like someone had entered my head and moved everything around so that I could no longer find them. Writing was incredibly difficult, each word that would normally be within easy reach was off in some deep archive.

Yesterday’s experience demonstrated the acute impact of short-term sleep deprivation, but long term mild deprivation can have an even more devastating impact. From Making a Good Brain Great:

“Getting less than six hours of sleep at night decreases our ability to fight stress. Research has shown that people who consistently get less sleep than others have overall decreased brain function. Inadequate sleep may promote insulin resistance: compared with those who sleep seven and a half to eight hours at night. Those who get fewer than six and a half hours secrete 50 percent more insulin and are 40 percent less sensitive to insulin. Lowered sleep has been associated with diabetes and obesity. In our fast-paced society, we are often sleep deprived. In 1910 adults got an average of nine hours of sleep each night; in 1975 it had decreased to seven and a half; and in 2000 it has decreased further, to seven hours.”

Looking forward to a good night of sleep tonight.

(Steve: one of these days I will remember to return your book)

Music to Encourage Quiet

Limestone in a PuddleOne of the things I’ve become more definite about as part of the “My Brain” quest has been times of quiet.

Like most people I don’t live somewhere were quiet actually exists. I rely on music to take me to the place of quiet.

For some time a couple of CD’s by Jan Garbarek and the Hilliard Ensemble (Officium & Mnemosyne) have been amongst my favourites.

For Christmas I got another one to add to my collection, this time from the Jan Garbarek Group – Twelve Moons. I think I already like this as much, if not more than the other two.

I’m not going to try and describe Jan’s music, whoever wrote the Wikipedia entry did a reasonable job, but this is not music that fits neatly into any genre. I’m not even going to recommend it, I love it, but I know others find it inaccessible.

Have a listen on Amazon you might love it to.

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My Brain – A review at the end of the year

Grandad wonders whether registering at the gym was a good ideaBack in August I came back from my holidays thinking about my brain, and in particular the increasing need for people who are right-brain focussed.

I did some online tests (here, here) and discovered that I my brain is quite well balanced between the left and the right. I also decided that balance wasn’t the only issue – brain fitness was the real issue:

  • What type of brain do I need to be happy?
  • What type of brain do I need to remain employable?
  • How ‘strong’ is my brain?
  • Is it possible to change your brain orientation?
  • Is it possible to ‘train’ your brain?

This lead to a short diversion into considering the link between hand orientation (left or right handed) and brain orientation. The conclusion – it’s more complicated than that.

I decided that I need to set myself a goal and chose – remembering names. It’s always been something I struggle with. But I didn’t want to just create a technique for remembering I wanted to use it as a test for brain health. At the time I was assuming that brain health was a valid concept. Having read Making a Good Brain Great by Daniel Amen I concluded that it was indeed possible to make a brain “better“.

From this point I have changed a few things in my daily routine:

  • I’ve cut right down on caffeine. I really like the taste of coffee so I’ve switched to decaff.
  • I’ve created a quite place routine. It doesn’t happen every day but it happen regularly enough.
  • I’m doing more exercise. Most days I do something, even if it’s just a 30 minute walk. I try to get to the gym three times a week and manage it most weeks.
  • I’ve been eating more fruit. The main way I do this is to have some fruit in my cereal at breakfast, but I’m also drinking more smoothies.

Each of these things has made a contribution to a definite feeling that I’m clearer headed than I was before. I’m also more motivated to get things done. My tolerance to trivia has also become resurgent.

As for my test, I have no proof, but I think I’m getting better at remembering names.

The plan for next year is to deal with some of the things in my life that cause anxiety because stress isn’t good for brain health. I feel better placed to deal with them now. I think my next reading may well be the Chief Happiness Officers new book and workbook. I’ve also decided that I need to find room in my schedule for a creative outlet that doesn’t involve a computer – I quite fancy wood sculpture for some reason (my great grandfather was a carpenter so perhaps it’s in the genes). My fitness routine is OK but it also needs a goal so I think I’m going to try and plan in between 5 and 10 Saturdays when I’m going to walk up a mountain I’ve never walked up before.

These are not resolutions, I’m just thinking aloud. Resolutions only work if you plan the small steps that get you to the goal and I haven’t done that with any of these yet.

I’ve grouped most of these posts under the “My Brain” category.

Is it really that bad here?

More planesLooks like it might be time to move house according to this picture and associated article from the BBC today .

It’s not too good for Sue either.

As diet seems to be the main issue and because it plays such a huge part in brain health it’s not just an issue for life expectancy.

My working day & my blogging day

DovedaleI like to think about how I can make the most of my time. This means that I regularly question why I do things in the order I do them to try and get more out of the time I have.

When I am working from home (which is most of the time at the moment) I find it’s vital to have something approaching a routine. The routine enables me to be focused, but I’m not so embedded in my routine that I can’t be flexible with it.

I thought others might be interested in my routine, so here it is:

  • Breakfast
  • Walk – I find that a walk in the morning wakes me up. It’s good for my brain and also good for my posture which isn’t great after 20 years sat in front of a computer.
  • Quiet time – I listen to quiet music, read and relax. There is a sofa in my study which I use. I read from books during this time because the great thing about a reading a book is that you can’t flick to some other application while you are doing it. If I have thoughts about things I need to do during the day I will write them down so I don’t forget them, but I won’t do anything about them now.
  • Blog reading – The tablet sits within reach of the sofa. While still sitting on the sofa I start FeedDemon and go through the blogs that have been written overnight. Because I live in the UK there are a load of blogs to catch up on. I sort of follow a GTD method for blog reading. I will scan read all of the blogs. Those that I think I might read later get flagged within FeedDemon, those that I think I will reference at some point in the future get posted to del.icio.us. Everything gets marked as read. I will make a note of things I am going to blog about if anything.
  • Diary check – I check today and a few days further forward so I know what I need to get done.
  • Check email – My role means that I get email all through the day and night. I don’t read email outside my working day so there are always ones to catch up on in the morning. Again, I follow a GTD type approach with anything being scan read. Everything that needs an action gets flagged and everything gets marked as read.
  • Write task list – I write my task list out on a piece of paper. Physically writing each one makes me think about each one and how I am going to tackle it. The ones that I am going to do today get a star.
  • Tasks and meetings – Having planned my day I will then on with tasks and meetings.
  • 50 minute sit, 10 minute move – The day is split into chunks of work which involve sitting at a desk and others that involve moving around. This means that I don’t stiffen up too much, but it’s also good for my brain and makes me more alert when I am moving and also when a return from movement.

I’m not declaring any times because that’s my business and not yours , you can be sure that everyone gets what they are paying for.

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Brain Age Today

My Brain Age according to Dr Kamashima at lunch time today is 34 – which is less than my actually age .

For those of you who don’t know whether this is a good thing or not: In Dr Kamashima you are aiming for a brain age of 20, that’s the optimum.

Can my brain get 'better'? Yes, apparently

Jimmy tries out a new phoneOne of the questions I’ve been trying to answer on the subject of ‘my brain’ has been – can a brain get ‘better’?

I’m not really sure what I mean by ‘better’, but I have in mind something akin to a mussle becoming stronger.

Steve lent me a copy of Making a Good Brain Great by Daniel Amen. The title would suggest that he believes that a brain can be improved.

Having got to chapter 8 – ‘Yes, you can change your brain and change your life’ I’m starting to get the impression that Daniel believes that change is not only possible but also advantageous . The title of the chapter pretty much summarizes what it is saying.

Chapter 8 is only part way through the book and already I’ve picked up on things that I could make my brain better and that a number of things that I am doing are not good for my brain. One change has been to increase the amount of cardio-vascular exercise that I do. I’ve also switched to decaff as my primary coffee.

I can’t say that I’ve noticed any significant difference yet apart from sleeping better.

There’s a questionnaire at the beginning of the book which I only skimmed my way through, but having got this far I think I will get a couple of people to complete it for me and do it myself.

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Making Testing Fun

Grandama greet Jimmy and Grandad on their returnYesterday I wrote about the fun of learning the times-tables, and how important I believe fun is.

The sad part of this story is that Emily didn’t do great in her time-tables at school.

She did worse than she was doing at home.

Why?

Because being tested wasn’t fun. Being tested was stressful.

None of us, especially children, perform well when we are stressed.

So why do we test our children so much?

Does someone think it’s good for them?

Why can’t we make the testing part of the fun?

This year is going to be an especially test ridden one because it’s SATS. Having seen one child through it already it would appear, from a parents perspective, that for this whole year education is set aside so that the children can learn how to pass a test. The doubly-sad thing is that this test is all about the school looking good in league tables and has absolutely no value to the child.

The SATS themselves are only supposed to take a few hours, but that doesn’t stop them dominating the whole year.

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