Are you someone who obsesses about being productive all the time? Well, the truth of the matter is that there is nothing more tiresome than being on a constant drive to make every moment productive. Saving time on a process that one needs to do multiple times a day can save you hours.
At a time when the likes of the co-founder of Infosys, NR Narayana Murthy, and Ola CEO, Bhavish Aggarwal are pushing for more working hours, the conversation around the need to reinforce work-life balance is steaming up. However, it seems both entrepreneurs are wrong, at least when it comes to neuroscience. Once again, science comes to the rescue of millions of professionals who may be overlooking their health in the pursuit of ultimate productivity.
One needs to understand that today, there are numerous reasons to avoid putting oneself under relentless pressure. According to a report in NewScientist, contrary to popular belief, pushing for more productivity and this drive to make everything productive could impact our brain, reducing our capacity to think creatively.
The research cited by the publication explains that this has a lot to do with a tiny bundle of blue-tinged neurons in the brainstem known as locus coeruleus. This structure reportedly acts like a gear lever that determines the pace of our brain’s processing ability.
What is Locus Coeruleus?
In simple words, the Locus Coeruleus is a tiny part of the brain that controls how focussed and alert we are. Imagine it as a gear shift mechanism in cars. This part of the brain switches between three “gears” that affect how our brain works.
Gear 1 is when your brain is at ease or relaxed, like when you are daydreaming or letting your mind wander freely. Gear 2 is when you are focussed but not stressed. According to the researchers, this is when you can focus, be creative and solve problems. On the other hand, Gear 3 is when you are in crisis mode, essentially super alert or even anxious, like if you are under a lot of pressure or imminent danger.
The research shows that in Gear 2, our brain does its best work as you can think clearly, be creative and make decisions. While Gear 3 is useful in emergencies, it is not great when it comes to long-term thinking. And, if you push yourself too hard, like you are always stressing over getting things done instantly, your brain can get stuck in Gear 3, which makes creative thinking difficult.
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Based on the research, if you are constantly under stress, you are forcing the brain to work at full capacity all the time. This essentially hurts the brain’s ability to think well. Researchers say it is important to give your brain a break and let it slide to Gear 1 occasionally. This downtime, during which you can chill out, walk or take a break can actually help your brain be more efficient when the need arises to be in Gear 2.
Reasons why Gear 3 is bad news
As mentioned above, when in Gear 3, the brain is hyper-alert and in crisis mode. This could lead to several negative outcomes as per the research. Below are the reasons how working full throttle can impact your brain.
Decreased analytical and creative thinking: When you work in Gear 3 all the time, your brain is scrambling to react instantly, and will ignore thinking deeply. This means you are unlikely to think creatively to solve problems. Essentially, this decreases your ability to solve complex issues.
Heightened stress and anxiety: Gear 3 is meant for short bursts of intense focus, especially in situations of emergencies. In case you are stuck in this mode constantly, it may lead to stress and anxiety.
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Mental fatigue: Being always in crisis mode also uses up a lot of your mental energy and with time this can lead to mental fatigue and burnout.
Poor quality of work: This will also impact the quality of your work as one may not be engaging with their brain’s full capacity for in-depth work.
Reduced long-term productivity: Ironically, being in Gear 3 could reduce one’s long-term productivity. Researchers say that the constant pressure to keep everything going at full speed eventually lowers your productivity.
The biggest takeaway here is that Gear 3 may seem productive at the moment, but it leads to long-term issues. To summarise, being super busy at all times is not always the best way to get work done. One should let their brain relax at times.
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The above findings are based on the research paper titled, Locus Coeruleus: A New Look at the Blue Spot, published in Nature Reviews Neuroscience on November 1, 2020.
