6 brain science facts to help organize your day

The tons of information we receive every day are constantly competing for the resources of our brain. However, he has an amazing ability to independently restore order in this chaos, process massive amounts of complex data and self-repair. And in this he can be helped if we take into account the following facts.

1. Your brain wants you to appreciate what you do

Dopamine is a pleasure hormone that can seriously affect our performance. It is generated when we expect a reward and are motivated to complete a task. It turns out that the level of dopamine is related to our desire and willingness to work.

A team of scientists from Vanderbilt University used mapping technology to analyze the brain activity of two groups of people: "careerists" who were willing to work hard to receive their awards, and "bums" who were not so interested in the work.

Scientists found that the "careerists" had higher levels of dopamine in the brain region responsible for reward and motivation. In the case of “idlers”, it was more formed in the zone, which is controlled by emotions and risk.

How to use it. It's not about a simple rise in dopamine levels. It is important to increase it in certain, necessary areas of the brain. To get through a tough day, you need to be motivated and willing to work. But do not forget about willpower, because it is in it that the ability to bring things to the end lies.

Nothing will make you become a "careerist" if you don't really expect a job reward. If your paycheck is the only thing that motivates you to get out of bed, don't expect your brain to be in awe of it too. If you associate your activity with something that has value and significance to you, dopamine will begin to be produced in the right areas.

2. Your brain wants you to start the day with hard work

In an annual survey by the American Psychological Association, participants were asked to rate their ability to change their lifestyle for the better. They ended up citing lack of willpower as the main reason they didn't.

Many people believe that their lives will improve if they can pump willpower - learn to control what they eat, start saving for retirement, and achieve important goals.

Willpower has been explored for a long time. One of the pioneers in this area was Roy F. Baumeister. He found that willpower actually works like a muscle: it can be strengthened with practice, or it can be injured by overuse. It is coordinated by the brain and fueled by glucose, so the latter must be replenished.

How to use it. Willpower and self-control reach their peak in the early morning. So this is the best time to force yourself to take on the hardest things. When making a list of tasks, plan to solve the most difficult and responsible ones first.

3. Your brain wants you to use lists

He really loves lists. In fact, this is the most effective way for him to perceive and organize information. It's the to-do list that is the key to more organized and productive thinking.

Neuroscience confirms this - after all, the working memory of the brain stores information on a short-term basis. As Dr. Daniel Levitin writes, most people can only remember four things at a time. When we try to get our brain to remember more, its performance decreases.

How to use it. Make good old-fashioned to-do lists. They free up thought resources for other, more important tasks that you do during the day.

The brain has a kind of attention filter - with its help it understands which information is more essential. This means that urgent matters will always come to the fore for him.

At the same time, the brain does not forget about less important tasks and can even suddenly remind about them at 3 o'clock in the morning. And if you have a to-do list, he can rest easy, because he knows that you already have everything under control.

4. Your brain wants you to highlight the main thing

Maria Konnikova, author of the book “Outstanding mind. Thinking Like Sherlock Holmes,”argues that our brain perceives information spatially. Therefore, it is easier for us to remember information written not just in a solid paragraph, but line by line, in bulleted or numbered lists.

This design facilitates both the first understanding and subsequent reproduction. Since it is easier for us to process information presented in this way, it becomes less important for the brain how and when it will receive it.

How to use it. Keep it short and to the point, whether it's a shopping list, a to-do list, or a corporate presentation. After all, bringing a thought under one point, you reduce it to one capacious thesis.

5. Your brain wants you to write everything down

Studies have found that people remember lectures better when they write them down by hand rather than typing on a keyboard. This confirms that regular paper and pen are the best teaching tools.

It doesn't matter who you are - a simple student or a leader busy with serious business. By taking notes, you make your brain pay attention to this information. Your selectivity signals to him that this is really important information, and the result is long-term memorization.

How to use it. Write down a list of your top tasks for the day on paper and keep it with you. Use a pencil so you can erase or rearrange notes as appropriate. Again, this checklist frees your brain from unnecessary stress so that it can think about other important things.

6. Your brain wants you to move

Research on neurogenesis - the ability of certain areas of the brain to produce new nerve cells - shows that we can stimulate this process through exercise.

Our brains have an amazing ability to rebuild themselves and create new neural connections. Its area associated with learning and memory is called the hippocampus. Research shows that endurance exercise induces an increase in the number of new neurons in the hippocampus. This is due to the hormone irisin, which is produced when we exercise.

How to use it. Get exercise. Your main task is to speed up your heart rate. Even a 20-30 minute walk can stimulate the growth of new nerve cells.