تفکر هوشمندتر و تیزتر

Smarter Sharper Thinking Contents About the author Acknowledgements Preface Introduction Part I: Creating a high-performance brain 1 Nutrition: Refuelling smart You’re such a fathead Gut instinct Fat is not always ugly Minding your mind includes minding your weight Food and focus Priming the pump Stocking up on willpower The java jive Our daily desk Time is money Feed your brain For the organisation Tips for building brain nutrition at work For the individual For the organisation 2 Exercise: You’ve got to move it, move it Business on the move The fact is we think better after we exercise Equipment order: one hamster wheel please Is there an optimal time to exercise? Is there a best exercise for our brains? The solution for exercise phobia The perils of too much sitting Stand up for your brain! Join the movement Moving towards a positive thinkings pace Don’t stress me out! Tips to boost exercise and physical activity Getting to and from work At work Outside work For the organisation 3 Sleep: Bring me a dream Respect the zeds Scrambled eggs and sleep cycles How do you know if you’re getting enough (sleep)? Taking out the trash Too tired to sleep A series of blows to the cognition I’d die to go to sleep Swing shift Sleepless in Seattle, Tokyo, London, Sydney ... I’m sorry, I can’t remember Sleep stability Fighting sleep can lead to fisticuffs Playing catch-up doesn’t work Stay away from the (blue) light Sleeping on the job: the power of the nap Helping ourselves to sleep better Brainy tips for better sleep hygiene Brainy tips for avoiding workplace fatigue 4 Mental stretch: Flexing our mental muscles Curiosity breeds success When I was a child, I thought as a child Bright sparks Cultivating curiosity Train your brain to change your mind If I only had a brain: the Tin Man and other brainy myths Myth #1: We use only 10 percent of our brain Myth #2: We are either right brained or left brained Myth #3: Brain training makes your brain younger Myth #4: Brain training doesn’t work Take the challenge: could you pull the sword from the stone? Brain time at the gym for the individual Make it a daily habit Ditch the props Chase up old flames Brain time at the gym for the workplace Change the language Change the mode of thinking Part II: Operating a high-performance brain 5 Focus: Adjusting our lens of attention Fragmented focus Give your brain a break We have to manage our cognitive energy Your brain is a 100-metre sprinter, not Tenzing Norgay By working with your brain’s natural design you work less to get more done, and done well. Efficiency and a cup of tea — who could ask for more? You don’t pay attention to me anymore Rage against the machines? Why monotasking is the new black Strategies for focus 6 Mindset: Does your attitude suck? What’s with the attitude? Mindset over matter I’m open-minded, but ... Workplace perspective The power of belief For the individual: becoming brain type ‘be positive’ Check in first at hotel reality Know your choices Watch your language Keep practising! For the organisation: keeping the door ajar Develop a framework for positive and honest feedback Praising effort by staff, regardless of outcome, matters Ask what your staff finds exciting or motivating about their work Avoid micromanagement Build brain awareness about mindset in the organisation 7 Healthy stress: Creating a brain-safe environment Stress leave Why caring is sharing Managing stress Identify the culprit or culprits Identify what you can change and what you can’t Choose your stress reduction plan Implement your stress reduction plan Psychological techniques to alleviate stress Labelling Reframing Mobilising the brain to learn Safety first Towards mental stretch Why learning really does take AGES Your attention please Generating memory Emotion is crucial to learning Spacing Promoting a culture for learning 8 Mindfulness: Finding enough thinking space Operating at fast-forward What’s your perspective? Mindfulness over matter The secret is in the neuroplastic sauce Live long and prosper Team mindful Mindfulness takes a bow Johnny-come-lately Coming off autopilot Practice makes peaceful How long should you practice? How do I do this? Focus on the breath Mindful leadership Part III: Integrating a high-performance brain 9 Change ability: Adjusting to progress Man overboard The drama of change The need for long-life batteries The soothing balm of habit The problem with change External obstacles to change Internal obstacles to change Project change Above all else, know your why Share the vision Make the change framework commercially collaborative Take the first step, then the next Create co-owners of the idea Celebrate progress along the way Stay flexible Adopting a culture of change 10 Innovation: Curiosity leads to insight and innovation Whole-brain thinking Type creative All that jazz Aha! So that’s what insight is all about Flexible thinking and problem solving Getting into RATs Joining the dots Free-range thinking Time out for thought Society and sensibility Innovation in a flux Creativity on the move It’s brainstorming? Quick, get in out of the nasty weather! For the individual: creativity 101 For the organisation: igniting the creativity spark 11 Collaboration: Side by side Start with connection In peace and war, relationships matter Please don’t disconnect me Being part of the in-crowd Let’s get physical Creating a collaborative culture Environmental engineering Joining the hub Team intelligence Play the game Finding the ‘C’ factor Smells like team spirit The problem with groupthink Team work 12 Leadership: Thought before action What makes a good leader? Laying a foundation for the future Avoiding the seagulls Bringing out the best in others The ones in the wings Once more, with meaning Building self-leadership The TRAICETM model Trust Respect Autonomy Impartiality Clarity Empathy Conclusion Sources EULA Smarter Sharper Thinking 5 Contents 9 About the author 11 Acknowledgements 13 Preface 15 Introduction 17 Part I: Creating a high-performance brain 31 1 Nutrition: Refuelling smart 33 You’re such a fathead 35 Gut instinct 36 Fat is not always ugly 37 Minding your mind includes minding your weight 38 Food and focus 39 Priming the pump 41 Stocking up on willpower 42 The java jive 43 Our daily desk 45 Time is money 46 Feed your brain 47 For the organisation 51 Tips for building brain nutrition at work 50 For the individual 50 For the organisation 51 2 Exercise: You’ve got to move it, move it 53 Business on the move 55 The fact is we think better after we exercise 56 Equipment order: one hamster wheel please 58 Is there an optimal time to exercise? 59 Is there a best exercise for our brains? 60 The solution for exercise phobia 61 The perils of too much sitting 63 Stand up for your brain! 65 Join the movement 65 Moving towards a positive thinkings pace 67 Don’t stress me out! 69 Tips to boost exercise and physical activity 71 Getting to and from work 71 At work 71 Outside work 72 For the organisation 72 3 Sleep: Bring me a dream 75 Respect the zeds 76 Scrambled eggs and sleep cycles 77 How do you know if you’re getting enough (sleep)? 78 Taking out the trash 79 Too tired to sleep 79 A series of blows to the cognition 80 I’d die to go to sleep 81 Swing shift 82 Sleepless in Seattle, Tokyo, London, Sydney ... 83 I’m sorry, I can’t remember 85 Sleep stability 86 Fighting sleep can lead to fisticuffs 87 Playing catch-up doesn’t work 88 Stay away from the (blue) light 88 Sleeping on the job: the power of the nap 89 Helping ourselves to sleep better 91 Brainy tips for better sleep hygiene 92 Brainy tips for avoiding workplace fatigue 94 4 Mental stretch: Flexing our mental muscles 97 Curiosity breeds success 100 When I was a child, I thought as a child 100 Bright sparks 101 Cultivating curiosity 102 Train your brain to change your mind 104 If I only had a brain: the Tin Man and other brainy myths 106 Myth #1: We use only 10 percent of our brain 106 Myth #2: We are either right brained or left brained 107 Myth #3: Brain training makes your brain younger 107 Myth #4: Brain training doesn’t work 108 Take the challenge: could you pull the sword from the stone? 109 Brain time at the gym for the individual 110 Make it a daily habit 110 Ditch the props 110 Chase up old flames 110 Brain time at the gym for the workplace 111 Change the language 111 Change the mode of thinking 111 Part II: Operating a high-performance brain 113 5 Focus: Adjusting our lens of attention 115 Fragmented focus 118 Give your brain a break 119 We have to manage our cognitive energy 120 Your brain is a 100-metre sprinter, not Tenzing Norgay 121 By working with your brain’s natural design you work less to get more done, and done well. Efficiency and a cup of tea — who could ask for more? 122 You don’t pay attention to me anymore 123 Rage against the machines? 127 Why monotasking is the new black 130 Strategies for focus 131 6 Mindset: Does your attitude suck? 137 What’s with the attitude? 139 Mindset over matter 140 I’m open-minded, but ... 141 Workplace perspective 142 The power of belief 144 For the individual: becoming brain type ‘be positive’ 148 Check in first at hotel reality 148 Know your choices 149 Watch your language 149 Keep practising! 150 For the organisation: keeping the door ajar 151 Develop a framework for positive and honest feedback 151 Praising effort by staff, regardless of outcome, matters 151 Ask what your staff finds exciting or motivating about their work 151 Avoid micromanagement 152 Build brain awareness about mindset in the organisation 152 7 Healthy stress: Creating a brain-safe environment 153 Stress leave 155 Why caring is sharing 158 Managing stress 159 Identify the culprit or culprits 160 Identify what you can change and what you can’t 160 Choose your stress reduction plan 160 Implement your stress reduction plan 160 Psychological techniques to alleviate stress 161 Labelling 161 Reframing 161 Mobilising the brain to learn 163 Safety first 164 Towards mental stretch 166 Why learning really does take AGES 167 Your attention please 168 Generating memory 168 Emotion is crucial to learning 169 Spacing 170 Promoting a culture for learning 170 8 Mindfulness: Finding enough thinking space 173 Operating at fast-forward 176 What’s your perspective? 177 Mindfulness over matter 179 The secret is in the neuroplastic sauce 181 Live long and prosper 183 Team mindful 184 Mindfulness takes a bow 186 Johnny-come-lately 186 Coming off autopilot 187 Practice makes peaceful 188 How long should you practice? 189 How do I do this? 189 Focus on the breath 190 Mindful leadership 191 Part III: Integrating a high-performance brain 195 9 Change ability: Adjusting to progress 197 Man overboard 198 The drama of change 200 The need for long-life batteries 202 The soothing balm of habit 203 The problem with change 204 External obstacles to change 206 Internal obstacles to change 206 Project change 207 Above all else, know your why 207 Share the vision 208 Make the change framework commercially collaborative 209 Take the first step, then the next 209 Create co-owners of the idea 209 Celebrate progress along the way 210 Stay flexible 210 Adopting a culture of change 210 10 Innovation: Curiosity leads to insight and innovation 213 Whole-brain thinking 215 Type creative 217 All that jazz 218 Aha! So that’s what insight is all about 219 Flexible thinking and problem solving 221 Getting into RATs 222 Joining the dots 224 Free-range thinking 227 Time out for thought 228 Society and sensibility 229 Innovation in a flux 230 Creativity on the move 231 It’s brainstorming? Quick, get in out of the nasty weather! 231 For the individual: creativity 101 234 For the organisation: igniting the creativity spark 235 11 Collaboration: Side by side 237 Start with connection 238 In peace and war, relationships matter 240 Please don’t disconnect me 244 Being part of the in-crowd 246 Let’s get physical 247 Creating a collaborative culture 249 Environmental engineering 250 Joining the hub 251 Team intelligence 252 Play the game 253 Finding the ‘C’ factor 253 Smells like team spirit 255 The problem with groupthink 256 Team work 258 12 Leadership: Thought before action 261 What makes a good leader? 262 Laying a foundation for the future 263 Avoiding the seagulls 264 Bringing out the best in others 265 The ones in the wings 266 Once more, with meaning 268 Building self-leadership 271 The TRAICETM model 272 Trust 272 Respect 273 Autonomy 274 Impartiality 274 Clarity 276 Empathy 277 Conclusion 281 Sources 287 EULA 306