WEBVTT - Training Your Brain to Be More Efficient at Work 0:00:02.560 --> 0:00:06.920 Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, radio News. 0:00:07.440 --> 0:00:11.320 This is Bloomberg Business Week with Carol Messer and Tim 0:00:11.360 --> 0:00:15.239 Stenebeck on Bloomberg Radio. 0:00:20.160 --> 0:00:23.400 All right, so using your mind, yes, perhaps to play 0:00:23.640 --> 0:00:26.040 some games on folks, which is not always so nice. 0:00:26.720 --> 0:00:28.479 Are using it to be the best you get the 0:00:28.480 --> 0:00:31.440 most about of what you do. Not always easy and 0:00:31.480 --> 0:00:35.480 a highly distracting and increasingly short attention span world, which 0:00:35.520 --> 0:00:37.839 is why we are super eager to hear from our 0:00:37.880 --> 0:00:41.120 next guest with us as neuroscientists and physician and author 0:00:41.120 --> 0:00:42.960 of a new book that came out just this week 0:00:43.240 --> 0:00:46.559 with us is doctor Methu Sterni. Her new book hyper 0:00:46.600 --> 0:00:49.880 Efficient Optimize your Brain to transform the way you work. 0:00:49.960 --> 0:00:53.760 She joins us from London. Doctor Sterni, it's great to 0:00:53.840 --> 0:00:57.400 have you here with Matt and myself. Tell us a 0:00:57.440 --> 0:00:59.600 little bit about the work that you do, because sometimes 0:00:59.640 --> 0:01:01.560 I feel like when it comes to the brain, I 0:01:01.600 --> 0:01:05.240 often hear like we've only just scratched the surface and 0:01:05.400 --> 0:01:08.480 understanding how it works and what it can do for us. 0:01:08.520 --> 0:01:10.600 But kind of set the record straight here or what 0:01:11.480 --> 0:01:12.480 you have been aware of? 0:01:14.520 --> 0:01:17.840 Well, I've been very interested in how we have been 0:01:17.959 --> 0:01:22.280 really ignoring the brain's dynamics when it comes to looking 0:01:22.319 --> 0:01:26.840 at mental performance and working in general. We know quite 0:01:26.880 --> 0:01:30.119 a little bit about the brain now, but we've ignored 0:01:30.360 --> 0:01:33.200 much of that in the way we impose and we 0:01:34.240 --> 0:01:37.360 impose work routines on ourselves and we just follow the 0:01:37.440 --> 0:01:41.080 structure of work as it is. So the biggest, my 0:01:41.160 --> 0:01:46.280 biggest learning curve has been figuring out the disparity between 0:01:46.280 --> 0:01:49.160 the way we work and the way the brain actually works. 0:01:49.800 --> 0:01:53.280 So when I look at your book hyper Efficient, optimize 0:01:53.320 --> 0:01:57.120 your brain to transform the way you work? First of all, 0:01:57.440 --> 0:01:59.840 I google this kind of thing like all the time. 0:02:00.000 --> 0:02:02.600 How can I stop procrastinating? You know? How can I 0:02:02.680 --> 0:02:05.240 become more efficient? How can I get more organized? Because 0:02:05.760 --> 0:02:13.040 I am such a disorganized add procrastinator. Is it about 0:02:13.120 --> 0:02:17.280 changing my habits? Do I need to develop new habits? 0:02:17.400 --> 0:02:20.840 Or is it actually about changing my brain chemistry? Or like, 0:02:20.919 --> 0:02:23.440 what is wrong with me? And where do I start 0:02:23.480 --> 0:02:25.600 to try and fix it? 0:02:25.600 --> 0:02:28.720 It's about changing the way you look at work. So 0:02:28.919 --> 0:02:32.200 we have been working and expecting our own brains to 0:02:32.280 --> 0:02:35.760 work really like a machine on an assembly line, because 0:02:35.880 --> 0:02:39.640 we started adopting the pattern of assembly line work back 0:02:40.320 --> 0:02:43.839 actually during forty en times and when knowledge work came 0:02:43.880 --> 0:02:48.320 into the territory, we didn't really change the way we worked, 0:02:48.400 --> 0:02:52.000 although we changed what we worked on. And we continue 0:02:52.040 --> 0:02:55.400 to impose this pattern of assembly line efficiency on the brain, 0:02:55.960 --> 0:02:58.799 which was all fine while the brain did a lot 0:02:58.840 --> 0:03:02.600 of simple level cognitive work. But now that AI and 0:03:02.680 --> 0:03:06.079 automation has come onto this scene, we need to think 0:03:06.160 --> 0:03:09.840 about working in a way that really takes the brain 0:03:10.040 --> 0:03:13.560 to its peaks of qualitative output so that it really 0:03:13.680 --> 0:03:19.000 works well, creates those ideas, makes those excellent decisions, comes 0:03:19.080 --> 0:03:23.480 up with innovative ideas, original ideas, and for that to happen. 0:03:24.040 --> 0:03:26.160 You know, the brain doesn't put pieces together on an 0:03:26.200 --> 0:03:29.480 assembly line. The brain has its own rhythm of working. 0:03:30.040 --> 0:03:34.040 So instead of just following the nine to five, continuous, 0:03:34.600 --> 0:03:39.440 monotonous and constant paced work that we usually do, it's 0:03:39.480 --> 0:03:44.240 time to reframe work and work according to the brain's rhythms. 0:03:44.680 --> 0:03:48.880 Well, help me understand that, like I understand. I remember 0:03:48.920 --> 0:03:50.920 being out a Pixar and doing a deep dive into 0:03:50.960 --> 0:03:53.360 the company and they basically were like, we don't care 0:03:53.400 --> 0:03:54.880 when you work, as long as you get it done. 0:03:54.960 --> 0:03:56.520 We know, creative types might wake up in the middle 0:03:56.560 --> 0:03:58.600 of the morning or middle of the night, and so 0:03:58.960 --> 0:04:02.600 people were some high out during the you know, at lunchtime, 0:04:02.680 --> 0:04:06.160 playing volleyball or having a barbecue. This was years ago, 0:04:06.360 --> 0:04:08.240 and then you know, they just didn't care as long 0:04:08.240 --> 0:04:10.720 as the work got done. So I am curious how 0:04:10.760 --> 0:04:12.920 to apply what you are saying. And first of all, 0:04:12.920 --> 0:04:15.000 I want to understand what do you really mean by 0:04:15.200 --> 0:04:18.600 an assembly line kind of way of using our brain? 0:04:18.680 --> 0:04:19.559 What does that mean? 0:04:21.800 --> 0:04:24.200 So what I mean by that is, normally we have 0:04:24.320 --> 0:04:26.880 this structure of work where we go to work at 0:04:26.880 --> 0:04:29.679 a fixed time in the morning, we leave work, whether 0:04:29.720 --> 0:04:33.080 at home or officially in the office, at a sort 0:04:33.120 --> 0:04:36.479 of fixed time in the evening, and we expect our brains, 0:04:36.520 --> 0:04:40.600 we expect ourselves to work continuously during that entire time 0:04:40.880 --> 0:04:44.160 at a constant pace. But if you actually look at 0:04:44.160 --> 0:04:48.159 how the brain works, you will know intuitively that you 0:04:48.279 --> 0:04:52.720 cannot churn out really good ideas continuously assemble them at 0:04:52.720 --> 0:04:55.120 the same pace throughout the day. You will have peaks 0:04:55.760 --> 0:04:59.000 of moments where you are really good at coming up 0:04:59.040 --> 0:05:01.240 with ideas, and there'll be other times in the day 0:05:01.240 --> 0:05:04.120 when you just feel this slump, and that's your brain 0:05:04.200 --> 0:05:06.880 naturally slumping. So, for instance, we know that after lunch, 0:05:06.960 --> 0:05:09.880 everyone has something known as a post lunch dip. We 0:05:09.960 --> 0:05:12.880 also know that creativity seems to peak first thing in 0:05:12.920 --> 0:05:16.080 the morning and last thing at night, and so really 0:05:16.200 --> 0:05:20.039 kind of harnessing these peaks and these natural peaks and 0:05:20.080 --> 0:05:25.040 troughs in the brain's natural rhythmic performance actually allows your 0:05:25.080 --> 0:05:27.160 output to be much better. So you know, you can 0:05:27.200 --> 0:05:29.919 write lots of emails, you can make you know, do 0:05:30.080 --> 0:05:34.120 reports without really working at your peak. And that's what 0:05:34.160 --> 0:05:37.680 most people, most of us do. Now that machines have 0:05:37.760 --> 0:05:41.479 come into the landscape, they will do that kind of 0:05:41.520 --> 0:05:45.280 work for you, for us better and at larger volumes 0:05:45.320 --> 0:05:48.840 and faster. So we are now left with these incredible 0:05:48.920 --> 0:05:51.920 array of tools, and it's up to us to actually 0:05:51.920 --> 0:05:55.160 now use the brain for what it's for. How it's 0:05:55.240 --> 0:05:59.400 different from machines. So in terms of working with equality 0:06:00.080 --> 0:06:03.200 of output in mind rather than focusing on quantity. 0:06:03.640 --> 0:06:06.720 Have there I mean, obviously you're talking to two people 0:06:06.760 --> 0:06:10.840 who cover finance in New York. So the idea here 0:06:11.000 --> 0:06:13.600 is you pay someone to work as hard as that 0:06:13.640 --> 0:06:17.040 person can all day and all night and expect everything. 0:06:18.200 --> 0:06:23.680 Are there societies or cultures that have adapted work to 0:06:23.760 --> 0:06:27.320 the way the brain functions. Do you see like anthropological 0:06:27.360 --> 0:06:32.839 cases of you know, a good use of the brain 0:06:32.960 --> 0:06:36.600 or a good work schedule. 0:06:38.080 --> 0:06:42.480 So anthropologically, historically hunt to gather communities in the past 0:06:42.520 --> 0:06:46.080 and present hand together communities. For instance, if you look 0:06:46.120 --> 0:06:48.039 at the way they work. If you look at the 0:06:48.040 --> 0:06:50.679 way we used to work before the pre industrial era, 0:06:51.040 --> 0:06:55.320 we never really worked continuously as in an assembly line. 0:06:55.640 --> 0:06:58.279 We used to work in sort of bursts, almost in 0:06:58.400 --> 0:07:01.679 kind of power law patterns, worked really intensely for short 0:07:01.720 --> 0:07:05.719 periods of time and less intensely for longer. And I 0:07:05.760 --> 0:07:08.279 think really the thing we need to do is we 0:07:08.320 --> 0:07:10.680 need an attitude. We need a kind of an attitude 0:07:10.720 --> 0:07:17.040 and emphasis change, because eventually each organization, each individual will 0:07:17.080 --> 0:07:20.400 have their edge based on the quality of mental output. 0:07:20.480 --> 0:07:25.720 Given machines, automation AI, they'll be doing quantity of output 0:07:25.760 --> 0:07:28.480 better than we are. So we need to start looking 0:07:28.520 --> 0:07:31.840 at work and looking at productivity in terms of how 0:07:31.880 --> 0:07:34.080 many meetings did it get to come up with a 0:07:34.200 --> 0:07:39.000 really good quality, sellable, unique idea, how many hours did 0:07:39.040 --> 0:07:42.240 it take to come up with this quality of output. 0:07:42.800 --> 0:07:47.400 So if we start visualizing and looking at measuring output 0:07:47.520 --> 0:07:51.000 in that way, that can lead to a step change. 0:07:50.720 --> 0:07:52.640 Doctor Stornie. One thing I want to ask you is 0:07:53.280 --> 0:07:57.320 my parents were this way. My dad was, you know, 0:07:57.360 --> 0:08:00.480 an early bird, early riser and just cracking jokes and 0:08:00.520 --> 0:08:04.640 wide awake. My mom was a night owl kind of 0:08:04.640 --> 0:08:08.160 same for my husband night owl. And I'm like, really 0:08:08.240 --> 0:08:09.320 prime in the morning. 0:08:09.840 --> 0:08:10.680 So is it? 0:08:11.000 --> 0:08:13.080 You know, you kind of gave us some general trends, 0:08:13.160 --> 0:08:14.640 and your book says the state of mind is most 0:08:14.680 --> 0:08:17.320 suited to creative thinking and happens from waking until around 0:08:17.400 --> 0:08:19.800 nine to ten am, from around eight to ten pm 0:08:19.880 --> 0:08:23.600 until bedtime. But I'm assuming there are variations. I mean, Matt, 0:08:23.680 --> 0:08:26.400 you and I both have done early morning schedules. I 0:08:26.440 --> 0:08:28.600 came in at three thirty in the morning for the morning. 0:08:28.600 --> 0:08:30.800 For a long time, I did too. I was like 0:08:30.880 --> 0:08:34.480 on fire. But I do wonder, like, what do you 0:08:34.559 --> 0:08:37.160 think of those people like us in the media business 0:08:37.200 --> 0:08:39.200 who come in at kind of odd hours, or people 0:08:39.240 --> 0:08:42.439 who you know, I don't know, are opening up stores 0:08:42.440 --> 0:08:44.600 in the morning or like different things where they're on 0:08:44.800 --> 0:08:48.439 kind of crazy clocks. Are we not at our prime 0:08:48.640 --> 0:08:49.319 or optimum? 0:08:50.559 --> 0:08:52.480 So there are two ways of looking at this. So 0:08:52.520 --> 0:08:56.880 first of all, we all have a slightly different rhythm 0:08:56.960 --> 0:09:00.360 and shift towards the morning or the evening. This is 0:09:00.400 --> 0:09:03.720 known as being a night owl or a lark. And 0:09:03.840 --> 0:09:07.280 whatever your tendency, your whole this whole cycle is shifted 0:09:07.320 --> 0:09:10.480 that way. So if you are naturally happier waking up 0:09:10.520 --> 0:09:12.840 early in the morning, you perform better in the morning, 0:09:13.360 --> 0:09:16.400 then your likely your whole kind of cycle is likely 0:09:16.440 --> 0:09:19.200 to start sooner. So your creative window will be sooner 0:09:19.280 --> 0:09:23.480 during the day and slightly slightly earlier in the evening. 0:09:23.600 --> 0:09:25.760 And if you're a night out, it happens the other 0:09:25.800 --> 0:09:29.360 way around. Yes, of course we have this problem with 0:09:29.440 --> 0:09:33.360 globalization and shift work and working at different times, and 0:09:33.559 --> 0:09:37.480 yes they will be affecting how optimally productive you are. 0:09:37.520 --> 0:09:39.720 I mean, our ancestors did not go for a hunt 0:09:39.760 --> 0:09:42.679 at three in the morning usually, and so we are 0:09:42.720 --> 0:09:45.760 not mentally geared to do that. But if that is 0:09:45.800 --> 0:09:48.320 your if that is what you have to do, then 0:09:48.360 --> 0:09:51.920 there are ways still of manipulating your creative time windows, 0:09:52.760 --> 0:09:55.680 the way the period within which you can focus. 0:09:56.000 --> 0:09:56.559 How do you. 0:09:58.400 --> 0:10:02.440 How do you help somebody who is locked into a shift? 0:10:02.600 --> 0:10:06.600 I mean, Carol and I were assigned shows at certain 0:10:06.679 --> 0:10:10.760 times that they can't be changed. I can't call my 0:10:10.840 --> 0:10:14.840 boss and say, listen, I'm more of an evening person, 0:10:14.920 --> 0:10:16.959 so I'm going to have to skip this morning show. 0:10:17.200 --> 0:10:19.200 What kind of tricks can we use? 0:10:20.080 --> 0:10:22.319 So the one way to think about it is if 0:10:22.320 --> 0:10:25.000 you imagine your brain as a sort of engine that 0:10:25.080 --> 0:10:29.240 works on different gears. And this is a metaphorical way 0:10:29.240 --> 0:10:33.000 of looking at it, and you can imagine that when 0:10:33.120 --> 0:10:36.440 your brain is in gear two, it's performing really well. 0:10:36.480 --> 0:10:38.760 So you want to get into gear too. Now, if 0:10:38.800 --> 0:10:41.600 you wake up very early in the morning, your brain 0:10:41.679 --> 0:10:44.600 is naturally still sort of in a sleepy state until 0:10:44.640 --> 0:10:46.800 you train it to be able to do that on 0:10:46.840 --> 0:10:51.760 a regular basis. And really they're the hacks that we 0:10:51.800 --> 0:10:54.880 all know about, things like coffee, things like exercise. Your 0:10:55.480 --> 0:10:58.040 mission there is to kind of get your brain into 0:10:58.120 --> 0:11:03.320 gear sooner in the day artificially, so using I'm sure 0:11:03.360 --> 0:11:05.560 you drink I'm not going to say I'm sure, but 0:11:05.600 --> 0:11:07.959 I would. I would guess you probably do drink caffeine, 0:11:09.000 --> 0:11:13.440 things like lots of bright light, things like ways, which 0:11:14.000 --> 0:11:19.160 as these are, these are ways of kind of gearing 0:11:19.240 --> 0:11:21.080 up earlier in the day. So you're trying to just 0:11:21.160 --> 0:11:24.760 push your cycle forward and then towards the end of 0:11:24.800 --> 0:11:27.440 the day I would assume that you go to sleep 0:11:27.559 --> 0:11:31.480 quite soon. I would hope you do in terms of, 0:11:31.600 --> 0:11:33.640 you know, at the end of the day. And if 0:11:33.640 --> 0:11:37.079 that's the case, then you would wind down sooner using 0:11:37.440 --> 0:11:40.079 all the hacks that I've described using. 0:11:40.120 --> 0:11:44.319 You use a lot of hacks to wind down, hacks 0:11:44.320 --> 0:11:47.760 with quotation marks, Doctor STRONI, we're gonna come back with 0:11:47.840 --> 0:11:49.400 you in just a moment. We're gonna continue with doctor 0:11:49.440 --> 0:11:53.440 methu Uh Steroni her book hyper Efficient, Optimize Your Brain 0:11:53.520 --> 0:11:56.360 to Transform the Way You Work. This is Bloomberg Business Week. 0:11:57.600 --> 0:11:59.000 I want to get back to our guests. We're talking 0:11:59.000 --> 0:12:02.640 with neuroscientists and physician doctor Mithu Staroni on her new 0:12:02.640 --> 0:12:05.520 book just out this week, hyper Efficient, Optimize your Brain 0:12:05.600 --> 0:12:09.079 to Transform the Way You Work. I have to say 0:12:09.480 --> 0:12:14.000 thank you because you call out seasoned live TV anchors, 0:12:14.000 --> 0:12:15.360 although I don't. Yeah, we're seasoned. 0:12:16.000 --> 0:12:17.840 We're pretty darn Carol. 0:12:18.000 --> 0:12:22.239 But you note that they are especially adapt at processing 0:12:22.240 --> 0:12:25.040 too synchronous streams of information. At the same time, it 0:12:25.040 --> 0:12:27.400 happens when they listen to their producer or we don't 0:12:27.440 --> 0:12:30.840 as our producer Paul Brandon sometimes knows, but this happens 0:12:30.840 --> 0:12:33.280 when they do listen to their producer through an ear 0:12:33.360 --> 0:12:35.520 piece when speaking to the camera, they you know, and 0:12:35.559 --> 0:12:38.440 if we all have them in right now, they don't 0:12:38.440 --> 0:12:40.080 attend to one stream first and then the other, but 0:12:40.120 --> 0:12:42.680 somehow seem to fuse both streams into one source of reality. 0:12:43.400 --> 0:12:44.760 But then you go on to say that. 0:12:44.800 --> 0:12:46.760 Finally we get the props that we deserve. 0:12:46.880 --> 0:12:50.480 You know, we are very grateful because it is a skill. 0:12:50.640 --> 0:12:53.960 It's I kind of love having I like having your 0:12:54.000 --> 0:12:57.240 voice in my head. But having said that, the thing 0:12:57.240 --> 0:12:59.880 I wanted to get to is multitasking. And Matt, I like, 0:13:00.160 --> 0:13:02.120 we think about it all the time when we're doing something. 0:13:02.440 --> 0:13:04.840 We're working on a show, people come over to us, 0:13:04.840 --> 0:13:07.240 we're working on other stuff. We're getting emails, we're getting 0:13:07.280 --> 0:13:10.880 phone calls. Everybody deals with multitasking. I'm not as good 0:13:10.920 --> 0:13:12.520 as I used to be a multitasking. 0:13:13.480 --> 0:13:16.360 Multitasking does it? What's your thoughts on that and how 0:13:16.360 --> 0:13:18.880 we deal with it? And how do we I don't know, 0:13:18.920 --> 0:13:19.360 how do we. 0:13:19.320 --> 0:13:23.680 Deal so the multitasking in terms of what you as 0:13:23.720 --> 0:13:27.280 anchors do or what normal mortals do. 0:13:27.840 --> 0:13:31.360 We're pretty normal, okay. 0:13:30.520 --> 0:13:34.240 So when we're talking about getting simultaneous pieces of information, 0:13:34.480 --> 0:13:37.960 that is really a special skill, and for that you 0:13:38.040 --> 0:13:41.360 have to think about it as an information bandwidth issue. 0:13:41.400 --> 0:13:44.440 So you're getting a huge, wide variety of bandwidth and 0:13:44.480 --> 0:13:48.400 you're somehow fusing that together. Another way in which we 0:13:48.440 --> 0:13:51.600 actually refer to the words multitasking is when we are 0:13:51.679 --> 0:13:55.439 attending to different tasks at fast in quick succession, and 0:13:55.480 --> 0:13:59.440 they're all very different, so answering an email, then switching 0:13:59.640 --> 0:14:03.240 to a phone call, then switching to something else, and 0:14:03.320 --> 0:14:06.079 all of these are usually urgent, they're usually high in 0:14:07.040 --> 0:14:10.640 terms of information content. And again for all of that, 0:14:10.840 --> 0:14:14.959 you need your brain really needs to sort of log 0:14:15.040 --> 0:14:19.880 on clock in attached to that information source, process that 0:14:19.960 --> 0:14:25.600 information source, detach again, reattach and detach, and that really 0:14:25.680 --> 0:14:28.880 results or it really requires the brain to be quite agile, 0:14:29.360 --> 0:14:32.280 but also it requires your brain to have quite a large, 0:14:32.400 --> 0:14:35.600 quite a wide information bandwidth. And again, if you imagine 0:14:35.600 --> 0:14:39.000 your brain as an engine that's constantly processing information and 0:14:39.040 --> 0:14:42.440 it works at these different speeds, different powers, you're having 0:14:42.520 --> 0:14:45.240 to really step again metaphorically, you're having to step on 0:14:45.320 --> 0:14:48.920 that pedal to really process that information as fast as possible, 0:14:49.320 --> 0:14:52.480 and that results in your brain working at pretty high power, 0:14:52.600 --> 0:14:56.960 which really leaves you prone to exhaustion, prone to developing 0:14:57.000 --> 0:14:59.800 mental fatigue, And if you push on through mental fatigue, 0:14:59.800 --> 0:15:04.080 then the information you're processing and the higher cognitive function 0:15:04.160 --> 0:15:08.880 that you're carrying out is no longer optimal. So multitasking 0:15:08.920 --> 0:15:11.080 when you are quick switching from one thing to another 0:15:11.120 --> 0:15:15.640 in rapid succession, does not leave your brain to produce 0:15:15.680 --> 0:15:16.840 its best kind of work? 0:15:17.880 --> 0:15:21.800 Does it get more difficult as we get older? Carol 0:15:21.840 --> 0:15:24.280 and I were wondering what happens, what happens when you. 0:15:24.320 --> 0:15:26.280 Get old for those other people who are getting old 0:15:26.320 --> 0:15:27.360 or the old people out there. 0:15:29.280 --> 0:15:32.480 I mean, age is just a number, right, so we 0:15:32.560 --> 0:15:35.080 know that there's lots of plasticity as you grow older, 0:15:35.120 --> 0:15:37.440 So there are lots of Every individual is going to 0:15:37.480 --> 0:15:40.960 be different. But really the bottom line is being able 0:15:41.080 --> 0:15:44.760 to control your attention and being able to make sure 0:15:45.040 --> 0:15:47.840 you are not doing it to the intensity that you're 0:15:47.840 --> 0:15:51.760 getting mental fatigue. So having lots of breaks, making sure 0:15:51.760 --> 0:15:55.600 you detach from something before you reattach your attention on something, 0:15:56.120 --> 0:15:58.680 all of these things can help. What does that make fatigue? 0:15:58.800 --> 0:15:58.840 Like? 0:15:58.960 --> 0:16:02.000 What does that actually to detach from something be? 0:16:02.240 --> 0:16:06.040 Why you? Yeah, go ahead, So if you imagine when 0:16:06.120 --> 0:16:08.640 you are doing any kind of work. You are really 0:16:08.720 --> 0:16:11.680 and you're really zoned in. It's a little bit like 0:16:11.960 --> 0:16:14.600 diving deep into that work. Okay, So diving deep into 0:16:14.600 --> 0:16:17.680 an ocean, and then if you suddenly have to climb 0:16:17.840 --> 0:16:20.800 jump out of that ocean and jump into another ocean, 0:16:21.200 --> 0:16:24.120 you'll get the bends, okay, because you're going to have to. 0:16:25.120 --> 0:16:27.680 It's difficult. It's difficult for your mind, so you have 0:16:27.760 --> 0:16:30.640 to kind of come out slowly and then go in again. 0:16:31.240 --> 0:16:34.120 So one way of doing that, one way of making 0:16:34.160 --> 0:16:36.680 that process easier is every time you are switching from 0:16:36.720 --> 0:16:39.440 one task to another, you have a little bit of 0:16:39.480 --> 0:16:42.920 time in between tasks, so you actually stop focusing on that, 0:16:43.560 --> 0:16:46.480 rid your mind of that content by taking a short break, 0:16:46.760 --> 0:16:49.520 by emptying your mind, clearing your mind, doing something else 0:16:49.640 --> 0:16:51.880 for a very short space of time that doesn't completely 0:16:51.880 --> 0:16:54.480 occupy you. So you've kind of let go of that 0:16:55.080 --> 0:16:57.720 glue with which that mental glue with which you're sticking 0:16:57.720 --> 0:17:00.600 to what you're doing. Because the tougher than the more 0:17:00.840 --> 0:17:03.160 you know, the deeper you were into that that, the 0:17:03.200 --> 0:17:05.199 more difficult it is for your brain to kind of 0:17:05.240 --> 0:17:07.679 reconfigure and fit the new task. 0:17:08.000 --> 0:17:10.360 I have a curveball, what's that I'm gonna go off 0:17:10.359 --> 0:17:13.840 script here. Okay, it's dangerous because I don't know how 0:17:13.880 --> 0:17:19.399 it's gonna work out. Did you watch the Donald Trump 0:17:19.720 --> 0:17:23.120 Joe Biden presidential debate? Did you happen to see any 0:17:23.200 --> 0:17:23.399 of that? 0:17:24.600 --> 0:17:26.040 I'm so sorry I didn't. 0:17:26.240 --> 0:17:30.040 No, okay, just because what are you thinking? I'm just thinking. 0:17:30.280 --> 0:17:32.480 Biden said that he had a bad night and it 0:17:32.560 --> 0:17:36.320 was it was really uh, it kind of disturbing. But 0:17:36.359 --> 0:17:39.439 there are times when he's on point, you know, there 0:17:39.480 --> 0:17:42.919 are times when he can listen and react, when he 0:17:42.920 --> 0:17:44.960 can fact check in real time, but he couldn't do 0:17:45.080 --> 0:17:47.560 any of that on this evening. And he blamed it 0:17:47.600 --> 0:17:51.479 on a lengthy travel schedule and not getting enough sleep 0:17:51.680 --> 0:17:54.520 and you know, overworked. And I just wonder how much 0:17:54.880 --> 0:17:58.200 that really does affect could affect your performance, all of us. 0:17:58.240 --> 0:17:59.800 And just got about a minute left here. 0:18:01.160 --> 0:18:04.520 Well, in general, the sharper you are, the fresher you are, 0:18:04.640 --> 0:18:08.040 the more capacity you have, and the more capacity you have, 0:18:08.280 --> 0:18:10.920 the better you can delegate your resources and use them. 0:18:11.119 --> 0:18:14.439 So if your resources are really struggling, then your mind 0:18:14.480 --> 0:18:17.000 is having to put in more effort to get what 0:18:17.119 --> 0:18:21.680 it would normally be able to do done and so yes. 0:18:21.720 --> 0:18:25.040 So if you are struggling with resources, then of course 0:18:25.320 --> 0:18:28.000 things will feel more difficult for you and your output 0:18:28.040 --> 0:18:30.440 won't be great. So part of the idea of hyper efficient. 0:18:30.840 --> 0:18:34.520 Being hyper efficient is to really create optimal circumstances for 0:18:34.560 --> 0:18:37.920 your mind to always be able to have the best 0:18:37.960 --> 0:18:39.280 resources at all times. 0:18:39.400 --> 0:18:41.000 Nothing like a good night's sleep for me, I don't 0:18:41.000 --> 0:18:43.080 know about you, Matt, yeah, or a few weeks of 0:18:43.119 --> 0:18:47.080 a good night's sleep our vacation, Doctor Sterni, thank you 0:18:47.119 --> 0:18:51.440 so much, Mithu Sterni neuroscientists physician. Her new book hyper Efficient, 0:18:51.520 --> 0:18:54.320 optimize your brain to transform the way you work