How to Design a Work Session That Tricks Your Brain Into Peak Performance, According to a Neuroscientist Dr. Mithu Storoni, neuroscientist and author of the forthcoming book 'HYPEREFFICIENT: Optimize Your Brain to Transform the Way You Work', reveals what it takes to get your best work done.
By Amanda Breen Edited by Jessica Thomas
Key Takeaways
- People's attention spans are on the decline amid the rise of the internet and digital devices.
- Learn how to perform at your best with Storoni's three-part strategy for work session success.
"As routine and simple cognitive work is gradually delegated to machines, which can perform faster than humans, humans are left to do complex cognitive work — generating ideas, solving difficult problems and crafting ingenious solutions," Dr. Mithu Storoni, neuroscientist and author of the forthcoming book HYPEREFFICIENT: Optimize Your Brain to Transform the Way You Work, says.
But you're not alone if you hit a wall when it comes to doing that "complex" work. In fact, research shows that people's attention spans "have shrunk in measurable ways" over the past couple of decades amid the rise of the internet and digital devices, the American Psychological Association reported.
Related: Use a Clinical Psychologist's Break-Taking Brain Hacks to Be More Productive Than Ever
How can we ensure we perform at our best without wasting precious time?
According to Storoni, structuring work sessions for optimal efficiency is key — and focusing on three elements can help you do it:
1. Find your flame
Before you start working, Storoni suggests finding "paving stones in your work that lead to incremental progress in some area."
That might be more straightforward if you're learning something, creating a design or solving a problem, Storoni says, and less so if the task is monotonous or passive without feedback. "If that is the case, engineer a way to receive some kind of feedback while you work and to track any progress that you can," she adds.
Storoni notes that you should consider doing the work you find interesting, easy or pleasant first rather than in the order it comes in — "This anchors your attention and generates momentum for you to keep going."
2. Get in gear
Consider the best state of mind for the type of work you're doing, Storoni says. For example, if you're coming up with a new idea, your mind can move slower, but if you're trying to concentrate intensely, it will benefit from quicker processing.
After you determine that, check in with your state of mind, and if it's not serving you, try to nudge it in the right direction.
"Use your body to nudge your mind: If your mind is slow and lethargic and you want it to work faster — move faster," Storini explains. "Do a quick sprint or take a twenty-minute break for a slow run or brisk walk. If your mind is racing and you want it to slow down — slow your movements down. Do a breathing exercise, hold your gaze with the Quiet Eye technique I describe in my book, or actively relax your muscles with progressive muscle relaxation (PMR)."
You can also use your environment to get into the right headspace, according to Storoni. A fast-paced setting might help you focus if you're feeling slow and lethargic, and the opposite might be true if you feel jittery and need to dial down.
Related: 3 Brain Hacks For When You Can't Focus at Work
3. Run in rhythm
Storoni suggests planning a 90-100 minute work session that ends with a break lasting 10 minutes or longer.
"If your work is heterogenous, with difficult parts and easy parts, do the most difficult or intense work in the first 20 minutes, then switch to increasingly easier work for the rest of the time, ending with very light work," Storoni says. "If the intense work isn't completed in those first 20 minutes, tackle it again at the start of your next work session."
If all the work is very intense (a challenging math exam, for instance), close your eyes and take a five-second break every two minutes or so, she says. For other kinds of intense work (like supervising security surveillance of critical importance), take a break every 20 minutes for 3-10 minutes.
"Schedule the work session to a time of day when you peak mentally," Storoni adds. "For example, creativity peaks early in the morning and late in the evening, whereas the hours for peak focus are mid-late morning and late afternoon to the evening (this second peak is blunted if you are tired). Don't schedule a solid work session after lunch."
Related: Feeling Stuck? 5 Ways to Clear Your Mind and Be Your Most Productive Self
If all else fails and you still find yourself unable to tackle particularly intense work, Storoni suggests making a midday nap — no matter how short — a habit.
"It clears fatigue and makes you perform well for longer, later in the day," Storoni says. "But if you take a nap, be sure to clock up enough tiredness between the nap and your normal bedtime to be able to fall asleep. You can do this with both mental and physical work."
