Your Brain at Work, Revised and Updated by David Rock

Author:David Rock
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2020-06-19T00:00:00+00:00

WHEN EXPECTATIONS GET OUT OF CONTROL, TAKE TWO

It’s 3:00 p.m. Paul is back at his desk, thinking about how he’s going to deliver the new project. He agreed to the tight deadline, but asked for two days to create a detailed project plan.

He goes to open a spreadsheet, then stops to think about his mental process. He doesn’t feel that he is in the right state of mind for this kind of work. He doesn’t know why just yet, but a quiet signal is telling him to think about how to approach this budgeting task. He decides to take a brief walk to the store to get some milk, knowing he will have time to reflect along the way. On his walk, he remembers how excited he has been in the past about good profits, and how this excitement got in the way of clear thinking. He pushes aside the urge to get excited about the project, deciding not to give the thought any attention. He was just about to call a few of his suppliers to share the good news, but decided this might not be a good idea, in case expectations are not met. Paul’s director can pull back the wrong actors just as they are about to go onstage, which is the easiest time to stop them.

Paul returns home and opens a spreadsheet to cost out the project. He works out that he’ll need all of his contractors, and that they’ll have to work more hours than usual. They will charge him extra, as they will have to put more staff on his project. He plugs in the numbers and scrolls down to see the profit figure at the bottom. It’s in the negative. Paul knows he could get upset by this, but he vetoes his attention going down that path, telling himself he knows this is a first attempt at the pricing. There are probably ideas he hasn’t thought of. He gets up and goes to the kitchen to get a snack, thinking that some glucose might help him make new connections, and maybe his unconscious will have an insight if he quiets his brain.

Josh comes in to look for food, and Paul uses the opportunity to explain his challenge, hoping that another perspective might help get around an accidental impasse. As he hears himself explaining the challenge out loud to Josh, he has an idea. The insight pops into his mind as he talks about there being no other way of doing this job with a profit. His director, observing his sensation as he said these words, realized how silly the words sounded; there’s always another way. Speaking aloud about complex ideas can be a way of seeing your own thinking more clearly. Paul sees that this could be a great chance to try outsourcing his coding to someone in a cheaper country. In his more positive state, Paul maintains an “open mind” about the idea. He doesn’t resist it, even though the idea is uncertain.

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