Do not believe your brain

Your brain is deceiving you constantly. For example, most of the ideas of a person are based on what he remembers, and not on what he actually experienced. It is proved that the brain does not distinguish between memories of experienced events and the stories of other people. Let us examine the main problems.

Memory is deceptive

Today, the human brain is trying to focus on a multitude of problems every day, but it’s not ready for it. Not so long ago, people were worried about wild animals that could eat it, and not overcrowded e-mail. That is why attention is scattered and difficult to concentrate on really important things. With age, memory deteriorates, it becomes increasingly difficult to memorize.
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What is important to you is not always important to your brain.

Psychologist Jonathan Haidt of the University of Virginia explains The Happiness Hypothesis of psychologist Jonathan Haidt:

Our emotional part is the elephant, and the rational is its rider. It seems that the rider controls the elephant, but his control is very weak. At any moment, a six-tonne elephant can go where he pleases.

Therefore, it is difficult to go to the gym instead of eating ice cream. All because of the elephant.

The brain does not like new

Some people like to do something new and dangerous, receiving in the process a lot of unexpected emotions. But usually the human brain is afraid of the unknown, he likes to do the same thing over and over again, it's familiar and safe, for example, to go to your favorite restaurant every week. That is why it is difficult for a person to learn something new or change old habits.

Worse, the brain is not a database that can be organized the way you want it. Although there are some techniques that can help you with this.

Mind maps

One way to organize data is to use Mind Maps. Here, as they are described in Wikipedia:

A connectivity diagram, also known as an intelligence map, a thought map, or an associative map, is a way of depicting the process of general systems thinking using diagrams. It can also be considered as a convenient alternative recording technique.

As a programmer, I do not remember all the details of the many programming languages ​​that I used in my life. When I need to remember something, I resort to the help of Mind Maps. If the necessary information is not there, then I try to write it down. I've been doing this for years, it's amazing how useful such an “external repository” can be for the brain.

Lists and more lists

Another good habit to organize information. Imagine how much you need to memorize every day: for work, in your personal life, ideas, aspirations, etc. Write it all down somewhere; such a habit will help to be calmer and more stress-resistant: you will not need to remember all your affairs - they will be stored in a separate place and wait for your fulfillment.

I write everything down in a notebook, and every week I sort things out using Patrick Rhone's The Dash / Plus System .

New habits - it's hard

I use the Lift IPhone application, which helps me to get used to the new: I add everything to the day related to new habits and mark them as they go. It is important to do this daily.

If you want to be healthy, surround yourself with healthy things. Trying to quit smoking? Remove cigarettes, ashtrays and lighters away, buy books for quitting smoking, put "anti-smoking" wallpaper on your desktop and phone. Our brain, seeing these markers, helps to direct the elephant in the right direction. You can also add reminders to the calendar that will “nag” you about unfinished business.

A diary

Even if you regularly write to a blog, it is helpful to have a personal diary in which you need to write daily. It helps memory performance and develops introspection skills. For these purposes, I use the Day One application on my computer and phone.

Switch from task to task

Constantly switching from one case to another does not allow the brain to focus on one thing. Therefore, it is necessary to minimize the number of external stimuli that can distract you from the current business.

Conclusion

Our brain is deceptive and has its flaws, but that's all we have to explore the world around us. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly maintain it in good shape. It will make your life better and easier.