How to hack your brain for better focus | Sasha Hamdani | TEDxKC

Summary

In this engaging talk, the speaker shares her unexpected journey from a bored new mother during the COVID-19 lockdown to a creative powerhouse. Initially addicted to a UK dating show, 'Love Island', she found herself at a loss when her streaming service failed. This boredom, however, catalyzed a mental reset, leading to the creation of educational content on mental health, a book deal, and an ADHD management app. The speaker emphasizes the importance of allowing the brain to be bored to activate the 'default mode network', which enhances creativity and problem-solving. She introduces 'brain babbling' as a technique to unlock this network, advocating for the intentional embrace of mindlessness to achieve a more focused and productive state of mind.

Takeaways

• 🌱 The speaker found quarantine conducive to maternity leave, allowing for uninterrupted bonding with her newborn.
• 📺 During the pandemic, she became addicted to the UK dating show 'Love Island' as a form of escapism and time-passing.
• 🔒 When her access to Hulu was cut off, she initially felt a void and experienced profound boredom, leading to a period of inactivity.
• 🤯 The boredom eventually triggered a creative reset in her brain, prompting her to brainstorm and create educational content on mental health.
• 📈 Her online videos gained significant traction, leading to a book deal, the development of an ADHD management app, and invitations to speak on burnout.
• 🧠 The speaker attributes her newfound focus and creativity to allowing herself to be bored, which activated her brain's default mode network.
• 🔄 Multitasking is not truly doing multiple activities simultaneously but rather rapidly shifting focus, leading to brain fatigue.
• 🧘‍♂️ Mindfulness meditation and exercise are shown to diminish the default mode network, helping to reorganize the mind for better focus when needed.
• 💭 The concept of 'brain babbling' is introduced as a method to express thoughts without censorship, stimulating the unconscious mind.
• 🚀 The speaker encourages embracing mindlessness to unlock creativity and productivity by engaging the default mode network.
• 🌐 In a world of constant distraction, finding moments of boredom can be beneficial for accessing forgotten memories and repressed notions, aiding in problem-solving.

Q & A

What significant event happened to the speaker in 2020?

The speaker had a baby in 2020, and two days later, the world shut down due to COVID-19.

How did the speaker describe their experience during the quarantine period?

The speaker described the quarantine as working out well for their maternity leave, as they were tethered to a very hungry little boy and had a lot of time at home.

What was the speaker's full-time job before the pandemic?

The speaker was a psychiatrist, seeing patients and engaging in various professional activities such as medication therapy, strategy, empathy phone calls, and supervision.

What TV show did the speaker become obsessed with during quarantine?

The speaker became obsessed with 'Love Island,' a UK dating show, which they described as trashy but highly addictive.

What unexpected event led to a change in the speaker's routine?

The speaker's Hulu account stopped working because the account they were using reset their password, leaving the speaker without access to their favorite show.

How did the speaker's boredom lead to a creative breakthrough?

The speaker's boredom after losing access to 'Love Island' led to a mental reset, prompting them to brainstorm creative ways to improve access to mental health care information.

What impact did the speaker's content creation have on their career?

The speaker's educational content on mental health care led to gaining over a million followers, a book deal, the development of an ADHD management app, and being asked to speak about burnout by the Vice President and the Surgeon General.

What is the speaker's main focus in their educational research and content creation?

The speaker's main focus is on ADHD, as they both have it and treat it, spending a lot of time focusing on issues of focus.

What concept did the speaker introduce to explain the shift in their focus?

The speaker introduced the concept of the 'default mode network,' a set of neural pathways in the brain that become active during periods of wakeful rest or mind-wandering.

How does the speaker suggest we can activate the default mode network?

The speaker suggests 'mindlessness' or 'brain babbling,' which involves expressing the contents of consciousness without censorship, as a way to activate the default mode network.

What is the speaker's view on the importance of boredom and mind-wandering for creativity and problem-solving?

The speaker believes that boredom and mind-wandering are crucial for creativity and problem-solving because they allow the default mode network to activate, leading to the emergence of new ideas and solutions.