organized mind

a few highlights from the organized mind by daniel levitin: one of the most useful findings in recent neuroscience could be summed up as: the decision-making network in our brain doesn’t prioritize. “your brain needs to engage on some consistent basis with all of your commitments and activities,” allen says. “you must be assured that you are doing what you need to be doing, and that it’s OK to be not doing what you’re not doing. if it’s on your mind, then your mind isn’t clear. anything you consider unfinished in any way must be captured in a trusted system outside your mind.” that trusted system is to write it down. multitasking creates a dopamine-addiction feedback loop, effectively rewarding the brain for losing focus and for constantly searching for external stimulation. russ poldrack, a neuroscientist at stanford, found that learning information while multitasking causes the new information to go to the wrong part of the brain. ff students study and watch TV at the same time, for…