Saturday, November 20, 2010

HBR Tip > 3 Ways to Cultivate Your Proactive Brain

Studies have shown that a good memory helps you better navigate the future. And in business, anticipating and negotiating future demands is an asset. A proactive brain uses details from past experiences to make analogies with your current surroundings. It then helps you determine where you are and envision future possibilities. We are all born with proactive brains, but these three things can help improve brain performance:

1. Give it a lot to work with. Create a richer pool of information to draw from. Expose your brain to diverse experiences and situations.
2. Borrow from others. Find out as much as you can about others' experiences by talking, interacting with, and reading about other peoples' lives.
3. Let your mind wander. Undisturbed time gives your brain the space it needs to recall and recombine past experiences in ways that help you anticipate the future.

Today's Management Tip was adapted from "How Your Brain Connects the Future to the Past" by Jeff Brown and Mark Fenske.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Handle Distractions by doing nothing

How often does your day go according to plan? If you're like most people, your day is full of interruptions, distractions, and even surprises. Some of those twists and turns require you to react and adjust, but sometimes the best response is to do nothing. Otherwise, you can get wrapped up in trying to manage the distractions instead of letting them pass. For example, if someone interrupts you, it takes less time and energy to let him finish than it does to confront him about his rude behavior. This of course requires patience and restraint. Next time things don't go according to plan, before you jump out of your chair to react, take a deep breath and ask yourself whether it might save you time to do nothing at all.

Today's Management Tip was adapted from "Not Enough Time? Try Doing Nothing" by Peter Bregman.