There were the days when employers, managers, and potential employers all wanted to hire and work with people who could multi-task. Multitasking as it relates to humans in the workplace is the ability to carry out several tasks at the same time. However, as some psychologists and neuroscientists began the narrative that multitasking was not very effective, was a time-waster especially in complex higher-order tasks, and made people perform sub-optimally, the collective attention started to shift towards multi-focusing.
Multi-focusing Is In
Multifocusing is working on different projects or ideas simultaneously. While multitasking is carrying out relatively small tasks like preparing memos on the computer screen, talking on the phone simultaneously, multi-focusing is more high level, working on several ideas or projects at the same time effectively.
Multi-focus is more of what is required in today’s world to move ahead significantly in your career. Whatever your career path, you are more effective and will achieve more and get better rewarded and recognized when you work on several ideas, several projects, and have several responsibilities simultaneously while carrying out each one extremely well.
Your Brain Has Elasticity and Plasticity
Where does the brain come in in all this? For a significant period of time, scientists believed that we were bound to live with the brains we were born with. A new theory proves otherwise – neuroplasticity has taught us that our brains can change, and with the right kind of brain exercises you can become “intelligent” and adept at things with focused brain training.
Our brains have elasticity and plasticity. Over the course of your life, your brain has the ability to reshape connections when faced with new experiences.
At any age, the brain can grow new neurons and the more mental stimulation one gets, the more brain function is improved. By focused exercises to exercise the brain you can improve your attention, problem-solving skills, and processing speed. All these lead to better performance in your work and career. You are better able to handle projects, develop ideas, understand high-level concepts and increase your ability for effective decision making. In essence, you are more productive and effective.
Brain exercises developed by neuroscientists promote clearer and quicker thinking, faster problem solving, better concentration at work and enhanced creativity. In an IBM study of 1500 global CEOS across 64 countries, representing 33 industries the CEOs cite creativity as the most important leadership skill for business success in the next five years.
No matter your current level of intelligence and performance in your career, you can do much better and it is worthwhile to engage in brain exercises to improve the quality of your output, improve your performance in your career, improve your prospects and while all this is taking place, you are advancing your career.
Brain exercises greatly enhance your ability to solve problems, whether the problems are of a pragmatic, scientific or artistic nature. In addition, it improves flexible thinking and the ability to see the world from a different perspective. It enables one to discover creative solutions and enhances the ability to analyze information and adapt to new situations.
