Percolate and chill are not just steps for making an iced coffee. Add some brainy “meandering” to the combination and you’ll have a recipe for stimulating artistic or scientific creativity. According to one expert, your brain often does its best work at considering alternatives when you’re not trying so hard.
Barry Gordon, professor of neurology and cognitive science at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine, shares two other proven methods for getting your brain to work more productively in this month’s Scientific American Mind magazine.
For solving complex problems, Gordon says your best strategies are focus and optimization. It’s not always easy to shut out distractions and concentrate your full attention on one task, but doing so gives your neural networks the firing power to get your answer. In other words, focused energy at its best.
And optimization means looking beyond the limitations of your own beliefs and biases and considering alternative solutions. The more you search for a mix of ideas, the better your brain will be at finding the best possible solution.
Tell me, when are you your most productive?
Tags: creativity, human energy, managing yourself, neuroscience, personal effectiveness, success
