Written by: Anthony Moss-Zobel, PCC (ICF), Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
“Neuroproductivity is the ability to use neuroscience to make everybody’s work life better,” Dr. Friedericke Fabritius, neuroscientist, keynote speaker,and author of The Leading Brain: Neuroscience Hacks to Work Smarter, Better, Happier.
Dr. Fabritiusmodel of neuro productivity is based on three factors that make work smarter, better and happier – fun, fear, and focus. “When you have fun at work, your brain releases dopamine,” Dr. Fabritius says,“and you can be much more productive, become more creative, and be more mentally flexible.” A 2013 study explains when a subject is either driven towards or away from a particular goal. “When you have the right level of fear,” explains Dr. Fabritius “and you feel slightly over-challenged, your brain releases noradrenaline, and that gives that little kick that we need to perform at our best. It’s a bit like taking a cold shower.” When we have the right levels of focus, our brain releases acetylcholine,” states Dr. Fabritius, “and that helps us to really zoom in on what matters the most.” Acetylcholine, another neurotransmitter, balances noradrenaline’s intensity, working within the parasympathetic nervous system to relax the muscles and mind. Dr. Fabritiusmodel of neuro productivity – fun, fear, and focus is useful to keep in mind when dealing with productivity biases of urgency, confirmation and others.
Urgency is a feeling that is created by the brain's reward system. Our brain rewards us with dopamine, the neurotransmitter that makes us feel good when we achieve our goals or experience something pleasurable. This motivates us to seek out more rewards and continue working towards our goals. However, the brain's reward system also responds to deadlines and other time constraints. When we are faced with a deadline, the brain perceives it as a threat and activates the fight or flight response. The threat of a missed deadline or lost opportunity triggers the release of stress hormones, like cortisol and adrenaline, which can impact our decision-making abilities. The brain's response to urgency can lead to biases that impact workplace productivity. For example, the planning fallacy is a bias where we underestimate the time needed to complete a task. This bias is fueled by the brain's desire to complete the task quickly and receive the reward of dopamine. We are drawn to the fastest route to achieving a goal, even if that route is not the most efficient or effective. There are several productivity biases that can arise from a sense of urgency. One of these biases is the sunk cost fallacy, which is a cognitive bias where we continue investing time and resources into a project even when it's no longer profitable. This bias is driven by the brain's desire to avoid losing the investment already made. It can lead to poor decision-making and an inefficient allocation of resources.
Scenario 1: An entrepreneur has invested a significant amount of time and money into a product that is not selling well. They continue to pour resources into marketing and promoting the product, hoping that it will eventually catch on.
Scenario 2: A teacher has spent weeks developing a lesson plan that is not meeting the needs of their students. They continue to use the same approach, hoping that their students will eventually grasp the material.
By using a professional coach to help reframe the sunk cost as a learning opportunity. It could be a benefit in implementing tools to support growth rather than that of a fixed mindset. Instead of focusing on the investment already made, shift the focus to what can be learned from the experience. This approach can help overcome the emotional attachment to the investment and allow for a more rational decision-making process. Used alone or in combination, cost-benefit analysis or seeking input from outside advisors can help counteract the emotional pull of the sunk cost fallacy. Another bias is the availability heuristic is a cognitive bias where we prioritize urgent tasks over important ones. This bias is driven by the brain's response to deadlines, which are perceived as more urgent than non-deadline tasks. It can lead to a failure to prioritizeeffectively and may result in important tasks being neglected.
Scenario 1: An entrepreneur spends most of their day responding to urgent emails and putting out fires, leaving little time for strategic planning and goal-setting.
Scenario 2: A teacher spends most of their time grading papers and responding to administrative tasks, leaving little time for lesson planning and instructional design.
Professional coaching and perhaps implementing a priority matrix that assesses tasks based on both their importance and urgency. This approach can help individuals identify and prioritize tasks that are both urgent and important, as well as those that are important but not urgent. Use the Pomodoro Technique, which involves working in short, focused bursts followed by brief breaks. This approach can help individuals manage their time more effectively and avoid getting bogged down in urgent but low-priority tasks.
Confirmation bias is another productivity bias that can arise from urgency. It is a cognitive bias where we only seek out information that supports our beliefs. When we are under time pressure, we may be more likely to rely on information that confirms our beliefs rather than considering all available information. It can lead to poor decision-making and a failure to consider alternative viewpoints.
Scenario 1: An entrepreneur has a strong belief that their product will succeed in the market. They only seek out information that supports this belief and ignore negative feedback from customers.
Scenario 2: A teacher has a strong belief that their instructional approach is effective. They only seek out data that confirms this belief and ignore evidence that suggests their approach may not be meeting the needs of their students.
I suggest working closely with a professional coach to challenge beliefs and perspectives. Additionally, tools like mindfulness and meditation help reduce the impact of stress hormones on our decision-making abilities.
These biases can impact workplace productivity by leading to poor decision-making and prioritization of urgent tasks over important ones. In order to overcome these biases, it's important to recognize them and develop personalized strategies to manage them effectively.
As a Neuro-led professional coach, trained and experienced in using science-based methods and research such as proposed by Dr. Fabritius's model of neuro productivity, I can help you, your team, and your organization enhance and maintain peak performance.
Let’s work together!
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Anthony Moss-Zobel, PCC (ICF), Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Anthony Moss-Zobel, PCC (ICF), is a Doctorate of Business Administration student. He leads Neuro-led Coaching & Consulting, specializing in personal & professional cognitive neuroscience coaching and training in the public and private sectors. He also is an associate lecturer in team leadership, communication & HRM. He partners with NeuroEducation experts in France, the USA, and Africa to bring neuroscience insights to the classroom which has been proven highly effective. His work in Ghana and recent collaboration with Consortium International pour la Formation et la Recherche Coopérative en Education (CIFORCE) and l’Institut Africain pour la Neuro Education et la Ludopédagogie (IANEL) brings NeuroEducation across West Africa.
