STAYING ON TOP OF A FAST-CHANGING WORLD
An organized mind anticipates and welcomes the future.
That’s what this final chapter is about: how to stay organized in the future; a future that many predict will be so technologically advanced with gadgets so powerful that our minds cannot possibly cope.
Yes, the pundits are already wringing their hands over this. “The online world has merely exposed the feebleness of human attention, which is so weak that even the most minor temptations are all but impossible to resist,” wrote one critic in The New York Times. Another article raised the question “Is Google making us stupid?” and concluded that our own intelligence is “flattening.”
If you are worried that your brain is flatlining and that it may not be up to the tasks of dealing with the next Google, Facebook or Twitter—or even more significantly, with the supercomputers, nanotechnology and robotics that, futurists tell us, are going to be the major technological breakthroughs of the next couple of decades—let me reassure you: you’re up to the task.
Yes, your brain and these Rules of Order are powerful, powerful tools. They will carry you far, no matter what the advances in technology. We do not have to feel overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of information being birthed on the planet. Instead, we can thoughtfully take in whatever we choose, provided, of course, that we’re calm, focused, flexible...all the things we’ve talked about in this book.
There has been a lot of imagery used in the earlier chapters to describe various brain functions. The one simple image that comes to my mind when I think of the organized mind is a pyramid of building blocks: each rule building upon itself to get you to new heights. As Coach Meg pointed out in the last chapter, it’s a good view from up there, once you get out of the weeds of disorder—a good view not only of your present but to the future and to what is coming down the road.
Having now summited the pyramid of organization (or close to it, I’m sure), you are well equipped to handle the future. Not only do you have the view from the top, but you have each building block in place to work again for you.
As you come face to face with the future, you can count on these Rules of Order again and again. Think of the latest blitz of hype about a new “must-have” gadget—one that will make your life easier and more efficient and you faster, stronger and able to leap small buildings with a single bound. Is this really something that will rock your world? Is this really the “killer app,” the game-changer, the PC or iPod or cell phone that will truly change the way you work or play?
Maybe yes, maybe no.
The first response is to take a breath, and consider that it—whatever it is—was inevitable. You could have almost predicted it. At this writing, for example, Facebook is the most popular social media tool on the planet, claiming 500 million active users. But at a recent conference, we heard a tech consultant predict that five years from now no one will remember it. I tend to doubt that (reruns of the film The Social Network at least will ensure its longevity). Still, we understand the point: that Facebook and Twitter and YouTube and MySpace will be joined by other forms of social media—or even entire new genres of ways to communicate digitally—that we, writing in late 2011, can hardly conceive of.
But it’s coming! And when “it” arrives, you don’t need to panic. “This doesn’t unnerve me,” you should say. “I’ve managed the changes in the past; I’ll manage them in the future.” Indeed, you might want to think not about how this new technology will make your life more difficult but, rather, how you can use this technology to make life simpler, to enhance it, or to make you more effective.
So when the inevitable changes occur, remain calm and embrace perspective. This is where you use your attention, your working memory, your newfound mental flexibility. You keep your attention focused and your thinking on track. Think about how it seems like just yesterday that you were first introduced to texting, e-mail or mobile phones and how it took time for those technologies to become integrated in the workplace or home. How it was a gradual process, in which early versions of the new technology were improved upon, as major kinks were ironed out. You didn’t start sending one hundred texts a day the first time you figured out how to do it. As social researchers have shown, the adoption of innovation takes time...even now.
Engaging your memory and your ability to think flexibly, you think to yourself, “If I did x, then probably y will happen, or maybe z. If instead I started with y, then x....” With self-talk, you run through different scenarios in your head. You are thinking beyond one moment in time; you are thinking, “How have I responded in the past, how did that work and how did that not work for me.” This thought process keeps you in charge and enables you to ask yourself, “What does this gadget or technology mean for my future?”
A calm, thoughtful perspective allows you to think really clearly about the latest approaches—whether they be new hardware, a new political candidate or a new mind-set. You will out-think the new gimmicks and see through the empty promises. Maybe you should embrace this new technology—take a tutorial at your earliest convenience and practice at home. Maybe you should use it sparingly. And maybe, just maybe, you don’t need it at all! Regardless of which direction you go, you approach the decision thoughtfully, without fear or panic. Your attention is finely tuned and not reactive or impulsive. And it needs to be. Because again, as we’ve said from the beginning of the book, the world comes at you in a fast-paced, high-speed stream of real and virtual information, zooming right at you and blanketing you. But you don’t need to live so fast. You can’t live so fast that there is no room for real thought or calm perspective.
That’s not a shopworn call to stop and smell the roses. We understand that life for many is too hectic to do that. What we’re saying is that before you gun the engine right past the garden, or even worse, drive right over it and flatten the roses, use the tools you’ve learned—the tools of impulse control, calm, focus—to organize yourself and make a smart decision.
Granted it is sometimes difficult to take the approach we describe, as we are pushed to interact with the world as if it is one giant touch screen; we must flit from one image, one idea, one plan, one piece of information to another. So we need to continue to sustain our attention and use our working memory to mold information and to pause and remember what the goal of our current task is. If we don’t work to keep our thinking on track, we could lose our minds online. The Internet can be a powerful, necessary working tool as well as a diversion. Don’t confuse the two.
So before you start clicking away, think it through for a moment or two. Have a purpose or objective before you start searching. What am I looking for? What am I attempting to find or learn and for what purpose? If you went to check a statistic for a report at work, and you find yourself scrolling through the batting statistics of your favorite team or some juicy new celebrity gossip...well, you’ve gone off track. You have become a momentary victim of the Distraction Epidemic! And while you might enjoy reading about Derek Jeter or Lady Gaga, you’re going to waste time, and later, as you’re pressed for time, you’re going to feel more disorganized and more under the gun.
Over time, we will understand more about the influence of the Internet on our brain. Studies are beginning to emerge, again using the latest neuroimaging technologies to examine the brain’s activity when it goes one on one with the Internet. One recent “techno-fascinating” study found differences in brain activation according to whether people had Internet experience or not. Brain activation (while on the net) was greater in people with Internet experience as compared to those without net experience; multiple brain areas were turned on, involving areas that have to do with decision making and organization. Is this a sign that with use the Internet can make us smarter, not more stupid? Or just make our brains work harder? Time will tell, but this intriguing study is another example of brain science showing us how the brain adapts and can change with experience.
Overall, regardless of the technology, or what the future brings, you must stay true to yourself and to your goals and aspirations: whether it’s your plan for the moment, the week, the year or the next ten years. With this mind-set, you can set shift and embrace new worthy opportunities; these are hallmarks of an organized, 21st-century mind.
LAST WORDS FROM COACH MEG: THE “RE-ORGANIZED” MIND
We’ve talked about that time when you are able to rise out of the weeds of disorganization and into the clear skies, a peak moment when everything seems to fall into place and you are truly organized, thinking clearly and creatively. It’s been the goal of this book to get you to that point.
Just don’t count on it lasting too long.
As you’ve learned from Dr. Hammerness, the brain is a dynamic, changing organism. It is also true of the organized mind. It is not a permanent state, in response to our constantly changing world. The arrival of new upsets, new distractions, new life questions and new sources of frenzy, whether of our choosing or not, is a certainty. Perhaps you’ve got one domain under control—your relationship with your kids—when an upset occurs at work, your sister develops a health issue or you make a stretch commitment to a community project.
These new forces disturb the picture and brief periods of equilibrium. We gently spiral downward—although not too far—back into the weeds and lose sight of the blue sky for a while. Once again we are called to renew the process: refocus, refresh the commitment to handle impulses and move intentionally through insights to the vista where we can make sense of what matters and what doesn’t and be on top again.
So let’s revisit what you’ve already learned and use it to get back on track.
Recall in Chapter 2 that I explained that developing a more organized mind is a process of change and there are some important ingredients to have in place to make change that sticks. The first and foremost is to find your internal motivation: what is driving you to want to have a more organized mind. Now that you’ve got a more organized mind, revisit what is driving you and make sure it’s still burning hot, maybe even hotter as you’re enjoying being organized. Perhaps you are energized by the sense of being in charge and in control of your life. Perhaps your mate and kids have remarked how relaxed you seem and how they appreciate your fun company. Maybe a coworker has noticed that you have gotten more confident and seem to be enjoying work more.
Back when you started reading Chapter 2, we talked about understanding your challenges (the “cons” for not changing) and developing strategies to overcome them. By now you’ve experimented with many strategies to sweep your brain clean and move confidently to the big picture. You inventoried your strengths, such as curiosity or love of learning, and you put them to work in service of your dream of an organized life.
Over time you’ve come up with a nice mix of habits that work to sweep away the frenzy, stay focused, populate your working memory and make leaps of insight. You practiced until they became automatic. Notice your enhanced capacity to experiment, create solutions and practice until new habits and brain pathways have formed.
You now have what it takes to make the best choices moment to moment. You have a lighter touch; you’ve become more nimble.
You appreciate now more than ever that it’s not all mental; the physical stuff is hugely helpful. If you’ve let go of these habits during a new period of change and disruption, now is the time to get back into it: sleeping better, exercising three times a week, meditating before you go to bed, eating lean protein at breakfast for brain energy or a bowl of blueberries when you need an antioxidant boost and a quick ten-minute walk when you need to recharge. They will help you in so many ways, not the least of which will be your ability to get yourself reorganized.
Remember when you struggled to stay focused on a task? Now you enjoy multiple focus episodes during your day and have started to relax into them and enjoy the ride without guilt or fretting, like getting on a bicycle or motorcycle and riding carefree on a sunny day. Enjoying an activity for its own sake. Ahhhh....
Now your emotions aren’t strangers; they are friends and full of insights. When you pay attention, their wisdom helps you turn on a dime or stay on task, whichever is the best choice. You welcome your impulses and their gifts rather than resent them or jump on board mindlessly.
With unfrenzied focus, you now amaze yourself with your new skill in consciously assembling all of the bits of working memory you need for any key task. How good it feels to have everything you need at your fingertips and to look out at all the things to keep top of mind! What fun it is to let go of the task with intention and jump into a new activity knowing that ideas will pop into your head when you least expect them to arrive. The pleasure of new insights arrives in a burst, like a delicious mouthful of your favorite food; your senses are awake and you feel alive.
If you’ve ever hiked up a mountain you know what it feels like to stand at the top and look in many or all directions, in awe of nature’s beauty, and to feel at one with the universe. When you arrived at the top of your last mountain, on top of the domain of life that you strived to organize, you appreciated the moments of awe and beauty. Remember those moments. The memories will keep you going as you move up the next mountain of your life.
Humans are wired to deftly handle the ever-shifting winds of life. One storm or challenge passes and we pat ourselves on our backs for a job well done. We’re on top for a bit—but only for a moment before the next challenge to our well-earned picture emerges.
A recent study by psychologist Barbara Fredrickson determined that the factor that most distinguishes people who are satisfied with their lives from those who are not is their higher level of resilience. Your successes so far in following the Rules of Order—whether it’s led to small or enormous changes in your life—should help give you the confidence you need to bounce back from and adapt to whatever comes along and rise to the big picture sure-footedly and swiftly.
This is a powerful way to create not just an organized life but a life you love.