Smarter Sharper Thinking
Contents
About the author
Acknowledgements
Preface
Introduction
Part I: Creating a high-performance brain
1 Nutrition: Refuelling smart
Youโre such a fathead
Gut instinct
Fat is not always ugly
Minding your mind includes minding your weight
Food and focus
Priming the pump
Stocking up on willpower
The java jive
Our daily desk
Time is money
Feed your brain
For the organisation
Tips for building brain nutrition at work
For the individual
For the organisation
2 Exercise: Youโve got to move it, move it
Business on the move
The fact is we think better after we exercise
Equipment order: one hamster wheel please
Is there an optimal time to exercise?
Is there a best exercise for our brains?
The solution for exercise phobia
The perils of too much sitting
Stand up for your brain!
Join the movement
Moving towards a positive thinkings pace
Donโt stress me out!
Tips to boost exercise and physical activity
Getting to and from work
At work
Outside work
For the organisation
3 Sleep: Bring me a dream
Respect the zeds
Scrambled eggs and sleep cycles
How do you know if youโre getting enough (sleep)?
Taking out the trash
Too tired to sleep
A series of blows to the cognition
Iโd die to go to sleep
Swing shift
Sleepless in Seattle, Tokyo, London, Sydney โฆ
Iโm sorry, I canโt remember
Sleep stability
Fighting sleep can lead to fisticuffs
Playing catch-up doesnโt work
Stay away from the (blue) light
Sleeping on the job: the power of the nap
Helping ourselves to sleep better
Brainy tips for better sleep hygiene
Brainy tips for avoiding workplace fatigue
4 Mental stretch: Flexing our mental muscles
Curiosity breeds success
When I was a child, I thought as a child
Bright sparks
Cultivating curiosity
Train your brain to change your mind
If I only had a brain: the Tin Man and other brainy myths
Myth #1: We use only 10 percent of our brain
Myth #2: We are either right brained or left brained
Myth #3: Brain training makes your brain younger
Myth #4: Brain training doesnโt work
Take the challenge: could you pull the sword from the stone?
Brain time at the gym for the individual
Make it a daily habit
Ditch the props
Chase up old flames
Brain time at the gym for the workplace
Change the language
Change the mode of thinking
Part II: Operating a high-performance brain
5 Focus: Adjusting our lens of attention
Fragmented focus
Give your brain a break
We have to manage our cognitive energy
Your brain is a 100-metre sprinter, not Tenzing Norgay
By working with your brainโs natural design you work less to get more done, and done well. Efficiency and a cup of tea โ who could ask for more?
You donโt pay attention to me anymore
Rage against the machines?
Why monotasking is the new black
Strategies for focus
6 Mindset: Does your attitude suck?
Whatโs with the attitude?
Mindset over matter
Iโm open-minded, but ...
Workplace perspective
The power of belief
For the individual: becoming brain type โbe positiveโ
Check in first at hotel reality
Know your choices
Watch your language
Keep practising!
For the organisation: keeping the door ajar
Develop a framework for positive and honest feedback
Praising effort by staff, regardless of outcome, matters
Ask what your staff finds exciting or motivating about their work
Avoid micromanagement
Build brain awareness about mindset in the organisation
7 Healthy stress: Creating a brain-safe environment
Stress leave
Why caring is sharing
Managing stress
Identify the culprit or culprits
Identify what you can change and what you canโt
Choose your stress reduction plan
Implement your stress reduction plan
Psychological techniques to alleviate stress
Labelling
Reframing
Mobilising the brain to learn
Safety first
Towards mental stretch
Why learning really does take AGES
Your attention please
Generating memory
Emotion is crucial to learning
Spacing
Promoting a culture for learning
8 Mindfulness: Finding enough thinking space
Operating at fast-forward
Whatโs your perspective?
Mindfulness over matter
The secret is in the neuroplastic sauce
Live long and prosper
Team mindful
Mindfulness takes a bow
Johnny-come-lately
Coming off autopilot
Practice makes peaceful
How long should you practice?
How do I do this?
Focus on the breath
Mindful leadership
Part III: Integrating a high-performance brain
9 Change ability: Adjusting to progress
Man overboard
The drama of change
The need for long-life batteries
The soothing balm of habit
The problem with change
External obstacles to change
Internal obstacles to change
Project change
Above all else, know your why
Share the vision
Make the change framework commercially collaborative
Take the first step, then the next
Create co-owners of the idea
Celebrate progress along the way
Stay flexible
Adopting a culture of change
10 Innovation: Curiosity leads to insight and innovation
Whole-brain thinking
Type creative
All that jazz
Aha! So thatโs what insight is all about
Flexible thinking and problem solving
Getting into RATs
Joining the dots
Free-range thinking
Time out for thought
Society and sensibility
Innovation in a flux
Creativity on the move
Itโs brainstorming? Quick, get in out of the nasty weather!
For the individual: creativity 101
For the organisation: igniting the creativity spark
11 Collaboration: Side by side
Start with connection
In peace and war, relationships matter
Please donโt disconnect me
Being part of the in-crowd
Letโs get physical
Creating a collaborative culture
Environmental engineering
Joining the hub
Team intelligence
Play the game
Finding the โCโ factor
Smells like team spirit
The problem with groupthink
Team work
12 Leadership: Thought before action
What makes a good leader?
Laying a foundation for the future
Avoiding the seagulls
Bringing out the best in others
The ones in the wings
Once more, with meaning
Building self-leadership
The TRAICEโข model
Trust
Respect
Autonomy
Impartiality
Clarity
Empathy
Conclusion
Sources
EULA
