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Photo by Mina Ivankovic on Unsplash - Image by @upklyak on freepik

In November 2018, I presented Mel Robbins' book « Stop Saying You’re Fine ». Since then I have delved into the subject and discovered some psychological factors that use our synapses against us...

- The concentration of a goldfish -

The numbers don't lie, a goldfish can stay focused up to 9 seconds while a human can only stay 8 seconds (according to Microsoft).

In this hyperconnected world, we are in a constant state of sensory overload, with every pop-up notification forcing us to pay our full attention to it. Whether it's answering our emails, participating in group chats, or attending a meeting, it's easy for our minds to be overwhelmed with information (even the most basic).

And it's not uncommon for our to-do list to be shorter when we wake up, than at the end of our day. And while some of us are great multitasking jugglers, let's face it… no one can endure this forever.

The solution to overcoming the « Goldfish » effect is to train our brains to ignore superfluous information (That's right : let's bury our head in the sand). Starting by dedicating ourselves to a single task, for five minutes.

- Unmask the impostor -

This belief, which makes us think that our success is a fluke and that soon everyone will realize that we are out of place, that we don’t have the necessary talent, is often a known psychological anomaly to be at the origin of behavioural disorders based on fear, stress and significant communication problems.

The main symptom of this syndrome is that we continually feel inadequate, even useless, even despite the people and the evidence to show us otherwise. So when doubt creeps in, let's take an inventory of our past successes and let's not be humble in making it. However, it may occasionally turn out to be real that we are not true to ourselves (and therefore our own impostor).

- On the lookout for the white bear -

Anyone who has been in a difficult situation knows that it is impossible to follow the advice to « Think about something else ». Our brain will not let us replace our painful and/or negative thoughts with rays of the sun, care bears, or the delicious scent of flowers. Instead, this traitor will focus more on what's gnawing at us.

Let’s remember when we were forbidden to eat sweets before dinner, and suddenly we had an irreversible craving for them. The more we try to chase an idea/thought, the more it becomes tenacious.

Our emotions will always be stronger than our thoughts, which is why it is impossible for us to use reason to guide our feelings. So, let's not fight our negative thoughts, nor being afraid of them, we should hear them, and don't believe anything they say (Hearing is not listening).

The trick is to stop avoiding our problems, to roll up our sleeves, to get ready and to fix whatever the problem is (for example, telling ourselves we're going to rock the house/to spark things up).

- Concept of transcription -

It comes from the hurdles that designers and engineers face when they have to come up with new solutions, and feel blocked by established and rigid ways of thinking.

It is a syndrome that can manifest in many areas of our life, whether it is not being able to adapt to a new technology or resisting a new slogan. This anomaly inhibits creativity and deters us from advancing in our skills.

The scheme involves letting both good and bad ideas flow out, writing them down, and preventing our brain from stopping at the first thought, but forcing it to accept alternatives.

Conclusions

There are many psychological factors that prevent us from carrying out our work or our projects, which has a negative impact on our personal and professional life. But that doesn't mean we can't counter them.

What do you think?