The Organized Mind
By: Kabir Sharma
Tags: Organization, Daniel Levitin, Book Review

1. Multi-tasking is a modern myth — don’t strive to achieve it.

First of all (and perhaps most crucially), Levitin argues that multi-tasking is a myth. Instead, it is more accurate to conceptualize the way our minds work through ‘sequential-tasking’ and ‘uni-tasking. At any one time, we focus on getting just one thing done (uni-tasking) and once it’s over, we progress to the next task (sequential-tasking).

When we try to multi-task (defined as switching rapidly from one task to another in quick succession), we’re actually tiring our brain out because it consumes more energy to activate neurons and create connections between different areas of your brain to think about that next task. This energy supply which the brain draws from is a finite resource on any given day, and so using it on the mere act of switching tasks is not wise. In the attempt to multi-task, we also end up releasing more cortisol — aka ‘the stress hormone” — which is not good for a whole lot of other reasons.

“People who organize their time in a way that allows them to focus are not only going to get more done, but they’ll be less tired and less neurochemically depleted after doing it.” — Daniel Levitin

An interesting study showed that even receiving — let alone responding — to an email while focused on a particular task reduces one’s effective IQ at that point by 10 points. This is why you might have heard of highly productive people who swear by the practice of dedicating a portion of their day to responding to email, and the rest of it to focus on getting work done.

2. There are 2 modes of the brain — both of which you should tap into and alternate between.

Levitin tells us that there are 2 main modes, or frames of mind, that our brains get into — one that is task-positive and another that is task-negative. The task-positive mode allows us to be productive — in other words, it allows us to make progress on a specific task that we’ve set for ourselves. The task-negative mode, on the other hand, is the brain’s wandering mode. This is a mode that allows for creative ideas to take shape and innovative methods of problem solving to surface. It is activated when we’re resting or relaxing.

The key point worth noting over here is that both these modes of the brain can be useful to you in the never-ending quest to solve problems, so you should schedule some time in your day that allows for your brain to function in these two modes. That is to say, make time to focus and get specific tasks done, but also schedule activities that allow your mind to wander and be open to the possibility that it might lead you to unique insights about the problems you’re grappling with. I personally like to read and go for long walks to be in the mind-wandering mode and I’ve gotten some of the best ideas and biggest breakthroughs while engaged in these activities.

Here is an example of someone else who derived a particularly profound insight while being in the mind-wandering mode:

3. The prefrontal cortex is your brain’s CEO, but instead of relying on effective and hardworking middle managers, it relies on dopamine to function well.

The prefrontal cortex is a part of our brain that is responsible for keeping us focused on a task or a goal. It is also the region that is engaged when we’re planning something in the long-term.

If you’re writing an email to a colleague, building a wooden barn, cooking your favourite dish or writing your next article for LinkedIn, your prefrontal cortex is the part of your brain that is hard at work behind the scenes (or skull? 🤔) creating connections and activating neurons between different parts of your brain to get you the information you need to make progress on your specified task.

The prefrontal cortex relies on dopamine as fuel and a shortage of this chemical limits the ability of the prefrontal cortex to function well, thereby contributing to a decline in one’s productivity levels.

This need and reliance on dopamine might partially explain why you subconsciously seek out quick sources of dopamine when you’re procrastinating on a task. How many times have you said, “I’ll have that cake and then get to work” or “I’ll watch that YouTube video before I get to work”? That’s your prefrontal cortex’s desire for dopamine so that it can start running again.

The best and most sustainable source of dopamine for your prefrontal cortex comes not from a cake or a TV show, but from the recognition of how the actions you undertake move you closer towards a specified goal.

If you’re feeling particularly unmotivated to complete a task and for whatever reason, you think it’s because your prefrontal cortex is short on dopamine, you can consume some glucose for a quick ‘hit’. People diagnosed with ADD are found to largely have a shortage of dopamine in their prefrontal cortex and doctors offer them a solution in the form of Ritalin — a drug that basically manufactures dopamine for your prefrontal cortex. At least I think that’s what the drug is meant for based on what I’ve read, but do look deeper into the matter if you’re curious to find out more.

4. Your brain only has a limited amount of energy on any given day — use it wisely.

We all know by now that our brains — despite being a relatively small part of our bodies — actually consume the most amount of energy. This energy is basically glucose.

Every time we switch our attention between tasks and thoughts, or every time we make a decision on something, our brain uses up some of the finite glucose it has at its disposal for the day. The most important point to note is that even seemingly small and inconsequential decisions (like “What should I wear today?” or “What should I eat for dinner?”) consume the same amount of glucose as a bigger decision you might have to make.

This limited supply of glucose and the fact that it gets used up by even the smallest of decisions might partly explain why Mark Zuckerberg wears the same clothes every day. He wants to reserve the energy in his brain for more important decisions that he will have to as he goes about his day as the CEO of the world’s fastest growing company.

You know who else abided by this practice? Surprise surprise…

This phenomenon also explains why plenty of highly productive people make it a point to tackle their most important tasks in the morning, which is when the brain has an ample amount of energy that should result in clearer thinking and better decisions.

I am not suggesting that you should wear the same clothes every day to avoid decision fatigue, but you should know that regardless of which decision you make in a day, you’re consuming the same amount of energy from your brain. So apply your mind to big and important decisions — not trivial and inconsequential ones. They’re costing you the same amount of mental energy!

5. Externalize, don’t memorize.

Finally, Levitin touches on how we should externalize our thoughts to shift the burden of memory from our brains onto the physical world and as a result, free up space in our minds for clearer thinking.

To externalize a thought is to place it in the real world so that you can refer to it when you actually need the information the most. At its most basic level, this could involve using a phone or a notebook to record information. Some people also practice this (unknowingly) with the use of a calendar, which can be conceived of as an ‘externalized daily schedule’.

“The most fundamental principle of the organized mind, the one most critical to keeping us from forgetting or losing things, is to shift the burden of organizing from our brains to the external world.” - Daniel Levitin

In conclusion…

Levitin’s book offers us a glimpse into how our brains work and what we can do about it to extract the most productive value out of it on a daily basis. He advises against multi-tasking, introduces us to the prefrontal cortex as the brain’s CEO, encourages us to tap into both the task-positive and task-negative modes of our brain to make progress on a task or a problem, explains the impact of glucose on our brains and recommends that we externalize the burden of memory out into the physical world instead of clogging up our brains with too much information (as I have — if you think deeply about it — done so with this article). 😀