I am a freelancer working in events. My
typical summer can involve weeks, even months, of continual 18 hour days. I
multitask my way around several projects at a time, firing out a dozen emails,
whilst texting, creating spreadsheets, making calls and eating a Twix. By no
means am I unique in my style of working; it is the norm, and people who work
in this manner surround me.
However recently I began to realize that my
memory and concentration were suffering a great deal, and my ability to relax
had been compromised somehow. I was finding it increasingly difficult to sit
and watch a film without gripping my iPhone and involving myself in a cycle of
checking Twitter, Instagram, emails, Twitter, Instagram, emails. Even a couple
of minutes from the previous refresh, I would be craving another look. During
online research I would click about the web with great speed. Articles, and
even lengthy emails, would be skimmed for important snippets. I had stopped
reading things in full – even away from the screen. The distraction of a new
email would pull me away from a spreadsheet in an instant. I would drift out of
interest in a simple conversation. In essence, I had become a multi-tasking,
speed addicted machine. I was living my life based on the next distraction; I
set to find out how this was affecting me, and how I could alter my way of
working for the better.
In the very simplest terms, the way my
brain was functioning was as an uber-efficient information-processing and multi
tasking machine. The more I processed and the quicker I did it, the more my
brain craved to be satisfied by these instantaneous bits of information and
interaction. The internet is the ideal tool for this gratification, as it
stimulates my senses aurally, visually and intellectually, It allows me to
believe that I am gaining knowledge at lightening speed, whilst interacting
socially and completing multiple tasks all in one go. This all sounds great –
my brain was working a little like a computer itself. I was powering through my
work tasks, and socialising at the same time. However, this was causing me a
set of new problems – I was losing the ability to commit things to memory, I
was constantly distracted, and I was unable to think or relax deeply. I felt
like my brain was never free.
To free my mind, I needed to understand the
basics of how it all worked. In simple terms, we can split the brain into
‘working memory’ and ‘long term memory’. Working memory holds a very limited
amount of information for a very small period of time, relating to what we are
currently doing in that second. The longer term memory holds an infinite amount
of information, that can be recalled at anytime, and stored for life. Things in
the working memory get committed to the long term memory and are stored there.
However, if the working memory is bombarded with information, its limited
capacity means it struggles to hold and convert everything. Essentially, it means
that it fails to commit this information to long term memory. The bombardment
comes in the form of distraction. I am looking at a web page with a block of
text, some adverts, a hyperlink and some audio. There can be an email bleeping
in the background. The radio is on. My iPhone just vibrated: Whilst my ability
to complete my tasks is not affected, my ability to commit any information to
my long term memory is severely compromised. I am basically processing the
information, but not actually learning anything at all.
Luckily, even though we have all seemingly
begun to have brains that function like computers, we are actually able to
change our brain function at any point. This neuroplasticity means that I can
alter the way I work – as long as I have the ability to exert some self-control
over the situation! I have decided to tackle the project in five main steps.
In my case, the first step has been to shut
down social media and RSS feeds that constantly run in the background. I can
check them each hour by reopening the program, but they are not sat on my
desktop, baying for my attention each time a distant friends posts something
about her dog. It’s amazing how little I miss the photos of a colleague’s
dinner, considering how much time I used to dedicate to looking at them.
Second big step was to take my emails off
‘auto-refresh’, and instead have them refreshing on the hour. When writing this
down, it doesn’t appear to be a major change, but there have been countless
times when I have found my hand sliding over the ‘get new mail’ button, and I
am still finding myself click rapidly from application to application to see if
anything new has come in.
Added to this, I needed to separate out my
tasks. The problem with my email thread and my to-do lists was always the
syndrome of having multiple projects on the bounce. I would be completing tasks
for two totally different projects at the same time, and hence not
concentrating fully on either. I decided to use the Toggl application to help
me with this. Toggl allows me to use a timer for each project or job I am
completing. I start the timer, and then I do any tasks relating to this
project. When I know that my time is being compartmentalised in this manner,
then I find I focus on the one item.
My fourth big step has been to re-engage my
brain with deep reading. I am back at the library and dedicating at least 30
minutes a day to a book. No music, no computer, no phone; just reading. The
process of this has been enlightening. Initially I found it hard to get past
two pages without finding myself wondering why the neighbour was banging her
door shut, or if I should have some biscuits with my tea. Gradually, the more I
engage in this dying art, the easier it becomes. The neuroplasticity of my
brain is truly at work!
And finally, I have been separating my
thumbs from my phone. I am aware I cannot live without the device, but I am
making a conscious effort to ensure that it is not in my hand during face-to-face
conversations, or on the table during dinner. It is on silent when I am
concentrating on important work tasks, and it no longer alerts me to every
single move made by someone in my social networks.
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