exploiting the brain for fun and profit - lone star 2016
TRANSCRIPT
EXPLOITING THE BRAIN
Alena Holligan@sketchings
sketchings.com
Wife and Mother of 3 young childrenPHP Teacher at Treehouse PHP Users Group Leader Women Who Code Leader
for Fun and Profit
YOUR MOST IMPORTANT TOOL
Physical
Perception
Learning
Memory
EVERYONE WITH A BRAIN STAND UP
RUN IN PLACE
“AWAKE AND ALERT”
PUNCHES
“LISTEN, PAY ATTENTION,
FOLLOW THROUGH”
Power PosesAmy J.C. Cuddy
READ ALOUD
enthusiastic
motivational
fascinating
enjoyable
fun
humorous
useful
beneficial
simple
profitable
valuable
easy
REARRANGE SENTENCE
talk this beneficial is fascinating
PRIMING
ELDERLY PRIMING
Words: Old, Gray, Florida
Significantly longer to walk to the elevator
Done on psychology students
Did the priming influence you? NO
Why? Make things up
We don’t say “I don’t know”instagram.com/ginalee/
The Brain Makes Things Up
WE DON’T EVEN REALIZE IT!
I’m always right. I remember things wrong.
How do we use this to our advantage?
Two TruthsEveryone is the same Everyone is different
PHYSICALSleep, Food & Exercise
SLEEP
-Leo J. Burke
"People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have
one."
Question:
How much sleep do you get?
SLEEP EXPERIMENT
5 days mimicked Alzheimer's
hallucinations and paranoia
30% loss in cognitive ability after 1 night
Physical Affects: blood pressure, immune system, body temp
Factor to obesity trouble metabolizing glucose feel hungry get cravings longer to feel full
DIDN’T FEEL IMPAIRED
Some people need lessinsomniac gene
Probably NOT You!
ANALYZE
How much do you need, sleepcycle.com
Wake up at the same time everyday, even weekends - go to bed when you’re tired
Go to bed at the same time everyday - wake up without an alarm
Write down how you feel, multiple times - both physically and emotionally
morning lark (1/10)
night owl (2/10)
play to your strengths
When are you at your best
SLEEP HACKS
90 minute cycles
Create a routine
Turn off electronics or f.lux
Stop caffeine
Cool and Dark
Room/Bed is Sacred
SOUND
SMELL
Quick Tip
NAPS IMPROVE PERFORMANCE26 min nap = 34% improvement ~ army
EVERYONE WITH A BRAIN STAND UP
Food
-Bill Phillips
"Food is the most widely abused anti-anxiety drug in
America, and exercise is the most potent yet
underutilized antidepressant."
FOOD AS FUEL
Brain adores glucose
2% of mass
20% of energy
Your brain needs fat
Balance: carbs, proteins and fats
Supplements
Caffeine and Alcohol are drugs, use carefully
Exercise
WHY EXERCISE
improves blood flows
clears waste (in your brain)
improves performance
actually makes brain bigger
Exercise for 75 minutes to maximize mortality reduction per minute 20%
Walking Desks
Walking Meetings
Boeing
Mayo Clinic
Start your day with Yoga
Quick TipTime Out App
-Heraclitus
“The only constant is change” (especially on the internet)
EVERYONE WITH A BRAIN STAND UP
KNOWLEDGE
Learned
Integrated with existing knowledge
Remembered over time
Deployed as Behavior
LEARNED
Use multiple modalities
Attention needs engagement
Elaborate, Meaningful, Context
Stories and Examples
INTEGRATED WITH EXISTING KNOWLEDGE
Make it yours - do something with it
Teach
REMEMBERED OVER TIME
Forgetting stuff is a feature not a bug
Take frequent breaks
Follow up
Spaced Repetition - Increased knowledge and retention - Timing is key - Information decay - computers can help - The Mnemosyne Project
QUICK TIPS
Make up crazy story
Smells and Sounds
Managing Information
new languages
new technologies
new approaches
books
articles
blogs
podcasts
conferences
Bombarded with
Information overload
Continuous Partial Attention
We can’t multi-taskCell phones prove this
EMAIL IS LIKE GAMBLINGvariable reinforcement
ATTENTION IS PRECIOUS
Be Selective
Information Diet
Selective Ignorance
Pick something you care about
Skim the rest
Use your friends
Prune Aggressively - if you’re note reading it delete it
Turn off InterruptionsTV
Email Facebook Cell Phone
ProductivityInbox Zero (declare bankruptcy)
Getting Things Done (GTD) Pomodoro Technique (Agile)
Quick Tip
External BrainCapture ideas to generate more ideas.
We Forget. No, you wont remember.
Computers Don’t
Paper Doesn’t Either
Wiki is a great tool for teams
EVERYONE WITH A BRAIN STAND UP
Final Review
Location, Location, Location
Mindfulness
Try new things
Quality over Quantity
Write it down
Breathe
Balance
-Ralph Keeney, Duke University
America’s top killer isn’t cancer or heart disease, nor is it
smoking or obesity. It’s our inability to make smart
choices and overcome our own self-destructive behaviors.
Choose One Small Step Today
Resources
BOOKS
Predictably Irrational
A Whole New Mind
Getting Things Done
Your Brain: The Missing Manual
Pragmatic Thinking and Learning
Brain Rules
Mind Hacks
Sway
Nudge
Drive
WEBSITES
brainrules.net
lifehacker.com
43folders.com/izero
mindhacks.com
THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT
sleepcycle.com
f.lux
dejal.com/timeout/
habitica.com
coach.me
Alena Holligan@sketchings
sketchings.com
Wife and Mother of 3 young children PHP Teacher at Treehouse PHP Users Group Leader Women Who Code Leader