I’m always fascinated by our brains, how people think, and what makes folks choose to do what they do at the exact moment they end up doing it. Crack the code on that and you can rule the world!
The brain is a powerful, dynamic muscle. It works 24 hours a day, no matter if you are awake or sleeping. The activity powerful little buggers, called brain synapses, are the reason why experts recommend that you keep a notepad with you at all times. This is because many of your best thoughts and ideas come when you are not consciously focused any particular topic.
As it relates to game-changing leadership and performance, there is a whole fascinating industry on neuroscience, which focuses on brain synapses and neurotransmitters. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand the basics, and I want you to be aware of this basic scientific fact:
The connections between nerve cells in the brain are known as synapses, and they allow information to travel from one neuron to the next. There are trillions of synapses forming a complex network that allows us to feel, behave, and think, and these synapses also are responsible for our learning and retention of information.
Whether you realize it or not, your brain is always processing data and stack ranking what is most important for you to accomplish next. It does this without the distractions of events like somebody popping into your office unannounced, a cute picture of a cat popping up on your favorite social media platform, or you son begging you for an extra piece of candy.
Ready to learn 1 habit that most superstar, super-productive leaders incorporate into their day?
Here it is: Prioritize What’s in your mind first vs what is in your email, social media, and/or calendar.
Super effective individuals write down their top 3 priorities for the day BEFORE looking at email, talking to family, going into work etc. The 3 things that your brain has already subconsciously prioritized are truly the “golden ticket” items of what must be accomplished for the day, and you should do them first.
How do the other priorities which got dumped in your lap factor in? After you write down what your brain tells you, you make a conscious decision of whether or not to insert the other prioritizes, based on how they stack rank against the ones your brain has already laid out for you. Letting Little Tommy know that he can only have 1 piece of candy before dinner may be a quick accomplishment for you and one that you push to the top of your list to address right there and then. However, receiving a new project from a fellow co-worker may not have been on your agenda for the day and you may need to negotiate a realistic due date for your part of the project to be completed.
Celebrating the little wins of accomplishing 2-3 major items on your to-do list each day can keep you energized and passionate about embracing a new day.
Now I’d love to hear from you.
Try this strategy today and let us know if how well (or not well) it worked or if other “priorities” unexpectedly slammed your original list. Enter your comments in the reply section at the bottom of this post, or share your thoughts with us on Facebook or Twitter.
