Metaphors are an extremely potent tool for both communication as well as self-discovery. I’ve begun reading Your Brain at Work by David Rock, which gives the basis for an overall metaphor of how our brains work. Rock proposes we use the metaphor of a stage, with ideas coming, going, and vying for attention while we navigate our day. So far he’s doing a nice job relating several complex topics in cognitive science back to this metaphor to help readers heighten their understanding of themselves, and thus succeed.
In the first “Act” of the book, most of Rock’s tips have been codifying and justifying practices I’ve already done, like taking a walk over lunch to clear my head, but it’s helped me think differently about why these practices work (plus help me convince others to join me.) Going back to the metaphor of a stage, taking a walk basically gives actors a time to rest and your subconscious can have a breakthrough as other actors are allowed to mingle on the stage. There have also been several new tips and tricks that I can’t wait to explore:
- Treat prioritizing my day as one of the most energy-intensive activities. Do prioritization of todos early and avoid trying to reprioritize late in the day.
- Improve your mental braking system (not getting distracted) by practicing any braking, even physical braking.
- Think of your alertness level as an inverted U, where too little or too much alertness is an issue. Move your alertness level lower or higher through taking a break or visualizing a fear.
If you’re looking for a book to inspire you to think about your work approach differently, or help a Product Manager form their own best mental practices by laying a foundational metaphor, you should check it out. I’ll be making a couple more follow-up posts on the book as I read more of it so stay tuned for the final review.