February 5th, 2010
We are now one month into 2010. How are the New Year Resolutions going? Each year there is much rhetoric about improvements we might like to see in our lives by steadfastly resolving to make changes, but studies show that few actually make firm resolutions and fewer still actually create progress by acting on their resolutions. Actual change can be difficult for several reasons, but the good news is that we can redirect our choices at any time, January 1st or any other day of the year. So, reflection on the process of change should be a continuous process.
How do we thoughtfully choose our best course, on what do we focus our attention, how do we determine the allocation of our time and our money, how do we respond to things that happen to us? Mastering these “how-to’s” will provide a huge payoff and it is not that complex. There are fundamentally two choices, head or heart. Do we feel or do we think our way through life…facts or passion? Answer: Both are important. In making life choices large and small, you ignore either one at your peril. To use a car analogy, the head is the steering wheel and the heart is the engine. Both are required for every trip.
In this article let’s focus on the intellect and its main role in decision-making. It is based on facts, as we can best determine them. Of course, to fuzzy up the issue, one of the “fact sets” we can crank into this process is how we feel in our hearts about certain aspects of the issue. But heart-based feelings will receive comment in a future article, soon.
The brain is the seat of analysis and decision-making. I will offer three ideas for maintaining good brain function required for clear thinking. They are exercise; rest and restoration; and good order.
Exercise (nutrition and fuel): The brain is living tissue that thrives on nourishment, oxygen, various enzymes, and the products of our endocrine system. Anything we can do to promote our general health and physical well being will especially benefit the brain as it is one of the most genetically active sites in the body. How do we address these needs with one move? That is the answer, i.e., MOVE. Exercise, particularly aerobic exercise, is the single most effective way to promote brain health. It promotes circulation that bathes the brain in oxygen and nutrients, all of its other needs and purges waste. Of course, exercise offers many other benefits as well. So many, in fact, we cannot deny that failure to regularly exercise is a form of self-abuse. None of us will deny the point, so let’s just state that regular physical exercise improves brain health and, therefore, offers a direct, positive effect on decision-making.
But there is another form of exercise that is beneficial too. Like most human capacities, our ability to reason is either used or it atrophies. We strengthen our intellectual prowess by challenging our brains. Almost anything that requires mental focus is of benefit, but it is particularly beneficial to learn new information and develop new skills. Reading good literature, enjoying the arts, creative endeavors, learning a new skill like a language or to play a musical instrument…even doing crossword puzzles are all good examples of beneficial brain activity. “Just do it” and you will see.
In both areas, physical and mental exercise, a modest effort can yield great rewards that encourage you to do even more for greater benefit.
Rest and restoration: Another brain builder is good sleep. We are a nation of sleep-deprived people. In short, our ability to think is profoundly affected by our sleep habits. We can surge for a very few days and perform reasonably well on limited rest, but not for the long term. This aspect of guarding our ability to think clearly deserves attention and good choices in our lifestyles. Career and relationship-wise you give yourself a real advantage getting the right amount of rest consistently. You will be about the only one you know doing it, if so, and your capacity to think and be patient will be much greater than those around you. Much has been written on sleep and its long-term effect on a variety of our functions. The matter deserves study, being treated seriously, and action to modify our ways if we are not getting proper rest most of the time.
Good order: The third idea to consider, with respect to clear thinking is the issue of clutter. We live in a time with many distractions and dozens of subjects competing for our attention at all waking moments. While humans have the ability to process many subjects almost simultaneously, there is a limit. Most of us live at or past our practical limits much of time. The result is that many thoughts, tasks, and projects are done only partially and are then left to sit while we turn to perhaps less important issues, but which have a shorter deadline.
The net result is clutter in its various forms: mental clutter crowding the aisles of our minds, physical clutter stacking up where we live and work, and digital clutter on our computers, palm devices, and even our media recorders. This clutter creates a drag on our mental processes that becomes increasingly hard to lug through the day. Getting on top of these three forms of clutter increases our ability to think. This allows us to separate the really important from the less important.
My experience tells me reducing clutter is about two things and they revolve around one word. That word is retrieval. When you get ready to take the next step and again use the item, device, information, tool, idea, or perspective you are now “putting away,” how can you best retrieve it? So the two steps are: 1. Have a system that makes sense to you for having a place for things. 2. Then take the very few seconds to put things in there proper place when you are “storing” them. Do this and life will be much more efficient and you will find clear thinking is much easier.
Finally: These are simple concepts that can be hard to do, but deciding to make New Year’s Resolutions (or any other form of commitment to improve) in any aspect of our lives is the beginning of progress. The good news is that as humans with free will, we have the right to choose. With that comes the responsibility to ourselves and those who love us to use our intellect well. The matter is worth some analysis, thought and good choice. A related article on steps that lead to better decision-making can be found here:
