Manage Brain Overload on the Job

Why Is Brain Overload So Rampant in the Workplace?
The spiralling increase in brain overload is not restricted to the workplace. The incredible volume of information available via the Internet and many other sources is creating brain overload in everyone's lives, even away from the office.

Dr. Edward M. Hallowell, a noted psychiatrist and expert on Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) also coined the term and diagnosis of Attention Deficit Trait (ADT) - brain overload. People with ADT exhibit the symptoms of ADD, irritability, restlessness, distractibility, etc. More simply: People with brain overload feel that there is too much to do with not enough time and with insufficient resources to complete the task.

Like every other aspect of modern life, we are literally bombarded with information every day at work. While much of this information is quite valuable, data without comprehension or the ability or time to process it, is useless to those who collect it.

Therefore, there is constant pressure in the workplace to assimilate this information, understand it, analyze it, process it, and then act on the conclusions created from this analysis. Just as there are only so many hours in the work day, there are only so many cells in the brain available to process this massive amount of information.

As your brain makes its best effort to respond to your request for action and analysis, it sometimes goes into survival mode to protect itself from damage. Consequently, you often become frustrated, cranky and impatient with yourself and everyone around you. These conditions indicate you are now suffering from brain overload.

How You Can Manage Brain Overload at Work
There are many comparisons between the human brain and the computer. While our brains are much more complex, they work much like a computer CPU, with many parallels. When we are fresh with one or two tasks to complete, we are normally quite fast and efficient, similar to our favourite PCs. But when we are asked to complete many tasks at the same time, we tend to slow down, make errors, and sometimes experience a "freeze," just as our computers often do.

Using this comparison to a base, here are some tips to help you manage brain overload at work.

• Use the Help Desk - Delegate Some Work. Just as you call a computer help desk to assist you in solving PC problems, get some co-worker help to get the job(s) done on time. Delegate some tasks or ask management for some help to complete your projects on time.
  
  
• Delete some of your excess files - Remove all items from your to-do list that are only things that you "should" do - not what you really "need" to do. These items only serve to confuse you and waste valuable time.
  
  
• Reboot yourself - Take some time off. Often the best way to un-freeze your PC is to perform a simple reboot. This works well to combat brain overload too. Take a vacation or a few days off to relax and refresh yourself. Give your brain and psyche an opportunity to restart and attack your projects with renewed energy.
  
  
• Defragment your brain - Reorganize yourself. Just as defragmenting your hard drive reunites fragmented and split files for more efficient processing, taking some time to reorganize your tasks and responsibilities can clear away much of the "clutter" causing your brain overload.
  
  
• Transfer some non-essential files to a CD or flash drive - Download some files from your overly-taxed brain. Clear your mind of unnecessary issues - things you need to do at home, balancing your checking account, going to the dentist next week, and similar items that have little to do with your task at hand.
  
  
• Hit the refresh button - take a quick refresher break. Even a five or ten minute relaxer period can reenergize you and lessen your brain overload. Like hitting the refresh button to get a new, clean web page, a quick refresh break does the same for you.

Since the stream of available information continues to grow and workplace tasks become more complex, brain overload conditions may also escalate. Taking some of these simple steps should help you manage this syndrome and perform better at work. Although our brains appear to work like computers, they are much more complex and sophisticated.

By reducing mind clutter and refocusing on the job, you can manage or even overcome brain overload. Unfortunately, the information stream, the job complexity, and the lack of time to complete tasks will probably continue. Learning how to manage this combination of regular events will help you avoid brain overload. At a minimum, you will better manage brain overload when it attacks.

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