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What Is Brain Extending:
We usually don’t live in the present moment, because we find ourselves overwhelmed in our heads with tasks that need to be remembered, facts we’ve just learnt and out-of-the-blue ideas that have sparked inside of us.
At the same time, we want to be productive with our time and effective with our limited resources. And that’s where a precious idea of externalizing memory comes in.
Brain extending is the concept of freeing up your brain by externalizing pieces of the memory that don’t need to be there. It simply means, freeing yourself of the burden of remembering something the whole day before you can get to it.
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Benefits of Brain Extenders:
The brain no longer needs to keep track of things. Writing long hand actually allows the brain the process the information more deeply. That way it tends to stick and you’re less likely forget. Also, a lighter brain is more productive because it can work more effectively.
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You’re already doing it:
You’re probably already extending your brain without realizing it. Writing down your shopping list before you can hit the grocery store sometime this week is an example. Putting an important paper tucked between your wallet or stuffed inside your purse, so you won’t forget it while you rush through the door in the morning is another example.
The other ways we’ve externalized our brains are that we no longer have to remember facts like the distance between the earth and moon, or how many wives King Henry VIII had. We’ve outsourced all such research to tools like Google. Of course, thanks to Google, we also tend to overload our brain with information like, Facebook Addiction Disorder is a now mental disorder identified by Psychologists, which is a different problem altogether.
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How can you extend your brain:
- Put it in the environment. My 13 year old always carries his umbrella in his school bag, because he doesn’t want to deal with the hassle of looking for one during rainy days. On days he uses it, as he’s folding it up the dry umbrella later, he puts it back directly into the bag. This always amuses me, because there’s so much to learn from little children.
- Create special places. For things like keys and handbags, have a designated place in the house so you won’t have to always jog your memory to hunt them.
- Write things down. Write tasks that you want to remember as: Urgent and Later.
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Creating an external brain physically:
A commonplace book by definition contains entries from inspirational writings for learning purposes and is mainly organized under headings or tags rather than chronologically.
For me as a writer my commonplace book is invaluable. Its literally a part of my brain that lives outside of me. I can’t imagine how overcrowded my brain would be if I continued to work through the day without writing ideas down to work on them later.
Interspersed with all my key learnings is also a daily snapshot of my life as it happens. So my commonplace book is also my journal, my task list holder and my idea generator.
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How can you start building your own brain:
Grab a notebook (commonplace book) and a pen.
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Actionable Tip:
Finish any task that takes less than 2 minutes immediately. That’s how you can ensure that the commonplace book is effective and doesn’t become overwhelmed. Of course, if something can’t be done right away, you have the book anyway.
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About The Article Author:
Our mission with FutureSTRONG Academy – to grow children who respect themselves, their time and their capabilities in a world where distractions are just a click or a swipe away.
I see myself as an advocate for bringing social, emotional and character development to families, schools and communities. I never want to let this idea out of my sight – Our children are not just GPAs. I’m a Writer and a Certified Master Coach in NLP and CBT. Until 2017, I was also a Big Data Scientist. In December of 2044, I hope to win the Nobel. Namasté.
Write to me or call me. Tell me what support from me looks like.
Rachana Nadella-Somayajula,
Program Director & Essential Life Skills Coach for Kids and Busy Parents
COMMITMENT - A Pillar of FutureSTRONG Academy
Our children will one day face the real world without our support. Academic development is not the only skill they will need in the real world where people skills like taking the lead, emotional intelligence and a strong moral compass will determine who will shine. So, as parents who want to raise well rounded adults, we want to give them the right tools for their personal development.
Here is COMMITMENT as described as the 6 C’s of Future STRONG.
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