Lockdown 211

Lockdown Day 211 - 23 October 2020

From today I will post my blog somewhere during the day in stead of late night. The purpose of the late night posting was to allow for daily happenings, because I did not want to be a "content" planner and writer. This means you create a content calendar where you decide what you are going to write about ahead of time. 

This blog is called Diary of a Brain for the exclusive reason that I want to write what I think about day by day. By choosing NOT to write my content ahead of time, I post honest in-the-moment things that are in my brain and/or happening right now. So everything you read is like freshly printed newspaper, hot off my brain's press. 

Posting during the day will afford my brain some night time thinking time, which is what I want to talk about today.

I have recently discovered the brain learns and works harder, faster and with more ease when you take breaks more often. Now I know this sounds like some kind of excuse not to do your work, but it is found the amygdala (part of the limbic system, it is our emotional memory centre) needs to be happy in order to learn/work effectively. 

Say you need to do an assignment, or you are having 8 people over for dinner (assignment!). There is a deadline for both and you keep thinking if you just dive in and keep going till you're finished it will be best.  Not so. Somewhere between diving in and the deadline you find yourself either losing the plot or extremely tired. This especially doesn't work is you're a number 99 person who finishes almost late.

The common denominator is TIME. If you do not take enough time ahead of the deadline to plan your execution (plus breaks) and allow time for your brain to diffuse/recharge, you will fall short somewhere. Maybe you will accidentally miss a whole topic or forget the eggs in the baked pudding. Or you will be extremely tired come deadline or an irritated dinner host who can't wait for the last guest to leave so you can get some shut-eye. 

To most students and working people alike, extremely tired is a sign of being a good student/employee. This couldn't be farther from the truth. To run the "extra mile" has never meant burnout.  It means to make sure your timing and planning feeds your brain and amygdala rather than burning up everything you have. 

So, to keep your working memory accessible and your brain alert, you need to change gears every 25 minutes or so. Even if you keep the "work" sessions 25 minutes and break for 10, it will be effective. What do you do in that break? Everything that is NOT reading or any type of screen or device. If possible, go horizontal, meaning a fast nap or something in nature. This affords your brain thinking time where it can work "behind the scenes", loading what you have already done, sorting out what needs to be done and finding more creative ways to finish the job with.

A whole night's sleep can unglue a "stuck" brain, giving you a new and fresh perspective or great ideas when you wake up. If you know your best brain time is in the morning, chances are your amygdala recharge ought to happen at night. If you are a night owl, remember to take into account your human design by making sure to be in bed not later than 23h30, also taking care to start planning earlier when a deadline is due.

Night owl or daybreaker, one thing is for sure. We were designed by God to use, not abuse our brain. To care for it and nurture it so we can lead productive and fulfilling lives. Maybe Lockdown came to teach us it is never too late to start now. 

Because your brain is worth it. Because you are worth it. And because God's got this.