The Organized Mind

By Daniel Leviten

Page summary: Notes are separated into bordered divs. The divs are not displayed in any particular order. A short summary written in this color is included sometimes at the beginning of divs. At the end of divs, sometimes there is a section called next steps. These describe how the div maybe expanded in the future.

About mental resources

Task switching, decisions, scope, saving resources

• Task switching costs mental resources
• Any decision making costs mental resources
• Creating processes allows you to save resources, by following rules instead of making decisions
• Task scope: Whether you are thinking big picture vs detail work. Switching scopes also costs energy. When planning tasks, plan so that scope switching happens no more than is necessary.

Rehearsal Loop System

This describes ideas for timeblocking chores, and saving mental resources by externalizing the rehearsal loop.

Sometimes a task isn't something you do once per day. Like dishes, this is a task that may need to be done multiple times per day. However if this task is grouped with other tasks in a time block of chores, it may reduce task switching in and out of chores

When to check tasks

1. In the AM
2. Before leaving for work
3. On returning from work
4. In the PM
5. Before Bed

What are the tasks

• Check email / texts
• Dishes

Next steps

• Come up with more ideas for what tasks could be useful
• Describe the benefits of externalizing the mind's rehearsal loop

Mode switching

"The natural and intuitive seasawing between daydreaming and focusing helps recalibrate and restore the brain.

Next steps

Should I incorporate more pomadoro into my days?

Sleep Part 1

Names and describes 3 sleep processes.

1.) Unitization

1. A musician practices a song by dividing it into phrases, practicing each phrase separately.
2. During sleep, the brain stitches the individual phrases together
3. The next day, playing the whole song through will be easier.

2.) Assimilation

During sleep, the brain attempts to figure out how new information should be reorganized into existing information

3.) Abstraction

• During sleep, hidden patterns are discovered and absorbed.
• Example: Grammar rules from your first language are learned through abstraction.

When do these memory processes happen?

• During the first 30 minutes of rem sleep
• Drinking / Drugs before bed will affect these processes

Sleep Part 2

Benefits, reccomendations, bi-modal theory.

• Waste removal (Neural pathways accumulate toxic waste during waking hours)
• Improved memory
• Immune function
• Mood regulation

Reccomended habits

• Go to sleep at the same time everyday
• Wake up at the same time everyday
• The acceptable range of sleep for an adult is between 6 and 10 hours
• Going to bed an hour later, or waking up an hour later than usual can negativly affect you for the next few days
• The consistancy of sleep time and waking time is more important than the amount. So if you have to stay up an hour later, instead of prioritizing length of sleep, prioritize waking up at the same time as usual anyway.
• Naps longer than 40 minutes can be counter productive causing sleep inertia
• Hitting snooze on your alarm and taking a micronap is counter productive
• Even a 5 to 10 minute nap is enough to boost productivity and creativity

Bimodal sleep

1. Go to sleep 4 or 5 hours after dinner
2. Sleep for 4 hours
3. In the middle of the night, a waking period of 1 to 2 hours
4. Sleep for another 4 hours
5. A nap in the middle of the day
6. Link to study

Organizing people

Without standardization of how the job should be done, productivity is limited by the skills of each individual worker. So the industry created a detailed document that explained exactly how job duties should be completed.

Chain of command diagrams were created, that showed who was responsible for supervising whom.

A network diagram is a diagram that shows how often individuals talk to each other. Who talks to who the most? You can see who works well together. The idea for improvement is to replicate groups that work well together. Split up groups that don't work well together.

Vertical structures

• Like the military. Every single rank has specific superiority over another specific rank
• It's easier to hold employees accountable for their performance and decision making
• This structure is useful when control and direct supervision is required, and where nothing can go wrong. Nuclear power plants, air traffic control.

Flat structures

A flat structure, nobody really has authority over each other, everyone does what needs to be done to get the job done.

Downsides

• It takes extra effort to decide who has responsibilites over tasks. Since its not established, this must be decided everytime.
• Sometimes you can have multiple people doubling up on the same task without realising it. This can cause interference, or wasted time and energy.
• Sometimes you can have a task that isn't completed. This can happen for two main reasons. 1: Because everyone thought someone else was doing it. 2: It didn't cross people's mind because its not something that is explicitly defined as their responsibility.

Misc Notes

• Instead of thinking of your day as a continuous flow of time, think of it in chunks of time. This allows memories to be stored into units and retrieved easier.
• There are circuits in the prefrontal cortext that recognize if you are following someone else's instructions, or if you are following your own instructions. Sometimes it is harder to follow your own instructions than someone elses.
• "...holding a rule in mind and following it is accomplished by networks of neurons that synchronize their firing patterns, creating a distinctive brain wave." The reason for unique brain waves is so that different rules can be distinguished from each other.
• The Pareto Optimum: When no aspect or part of a system can be changed in a way that improves the whole system
• When evaluating an economic decision, potential benefits are processed in the brain's reward center, and potential costs are evaluated in the brain's fear center.

Flat vs Vertical Organization Systems in Digital Mediums

Flat

• Summary level information about anything in 1 click
• Detailed level information about anything in 2 clicks
• Its easier to backtrack if you think you've gone down the wrong path
• If there are too many options to choose from on a certain level, it takes time to read through them all

Vertical

• Detailed information in 4 clicks
• Easier to find very specific information

Next Steps

This page could use a proof read. Also, different combinations of information should be considered. Would information make more sense if it was grouped differently?