Hack your brain - Ways to improve your thought processes

Prairie.code
Sept 12th 2019 Talk @ Prairie.code in Des Moines, IA
This talk will be a look at how different psychological techniques that can help optimize our brains in both our professional and personal lives. There is a lot of interaction that can be found from studying and incorporating mindfulness, a growth mindset (believing that all things can be learned or improved through work and effort) and how building good habits sometimes require a retrospective (just like your sprints). Alway will do a quick dive into speed reading, and how even if you are a fast reader there is always room for improvement (and will help you in the long run with optimizing all that other learning you are doing).

Transcript

1. @tech_christine
   Hack Your Brain
   Ways to improve your thought processes
   

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2. Flywheel
   

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3. @tech_christine
   You can improve yourself
   

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4. @tech_christine
   

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5. @tech_christine
   Evette
   Software Engineer
   Nick
   Network Engineer
   Dell
   Product Designer
   Peyton
   Product Manager
   

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6. @tech_christine
   What's her struggle?
   • Thoughts just keep circling
   around
   
   • Feels overwhelmed with
   worries and general chaos
   
   • Everything wrong is
   happening to her Evette
   Software Engineer
   

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7. @tech_christine
   A Solution? Mindfulness
   

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8. @tech_christine
   – Jon Kabat-Zinn
   professor/creator of the Stress Reduction Clinic and Center for Mindfulness
   “Mindfulness is awareness that arises
   through paying attention, on purpose, in the
   present moment, non-judgementally”
   

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9. @tech_christine
   What is mindfulness?
   • Mental habit of paying attention without thinking
   
   • Logging for your brain
   

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10. @tech_christine
    Let's try a quick
    meditation
    

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11. @tech_christine
    How to practice mindfulness
    • Focus your attention on something
    
    • Keep your focus, but don't judge
    yourself
    
    • Don't strive to hard
    
    •Simple but not easy
    

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12. @tech_christine
    Might even call this the
    Secret Sauce
    

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13. @tech_christine
    Am I going to need a lot of
    props?
    

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14. @tech_christine
    Nope
    There is no perfect way to meditate
    

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15. @tech_christine
    Do you have to do mindfulness
    meditation in order to be mindful?
    

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16. @tech_christine
    What can it help with?
    Emotional balance
    
    Response flexibility
    
    Down-regulation of fear
    

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17. @tech_christine
    But wait there's more...
    Insight
    
    Empathy
    
    Morality
    
    Intuition
    

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18. @tech_christine
    How will this help Evette?
    Thoughts just keep circling around
    
    • Allows her to redirect thoughts
    
    Feels overwhelmed with worries and
    general chaos
    
    • Helps with fear and chaos by
    down-regulating
    
    Everything wrong is happening to her
    
    • Helps her find insight and
    perspective
    Evette
    Software Engineer
    

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19. @tech_christine
    What is the struggle?
    • They have a resolution list a
    mile long
    
    • Starts and stops trying to
    tackle procrastination, healthy
    eating, exercise...
    
    • Lots of to-do lists Dell
    Product Designer
    

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20. @tech_christine
    An idea to help? Habit building
    

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21. @tech_christine
    –Will Durant, writer/historian/philosopher
    (often attributed to Aristotle)
    “…we are what we repeatedly do. Excellence,
    then is not an act but a habit.”
    

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22. @tech_christine
    What is a habit?
    • Not just "something you do every day"
    
    • Frequently recurring behaviors, that trigger when
    a cue is encountered
    
    • Then the behavior is performed automatically
    

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23. @tech_christine
    Think of habits like helper scripts
    Once you write one, just run it at it works
    
    Once a habit is ingrained, it becomes automatic
    

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24. @tech_christine
    

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25. @tech_christine
    Example Habits
    • When you wake up (trigger),
    you brush your teeth (habit).
    
    • When you get to work
    (trigger), you check your
    email/slack (habit).
    
    • When you get stressed
    (trigger), you eat cheetos/
    chocolate (habit).
    

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26. @tech_christine
    How to form a habit?
    1. Identify your goal
    
    2. Create environmental triggers
    
    3. Define your reward
    

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27. @tech_christine
    Identify the trigger
    •Figure out existing triggers
    
    •Look for something already
    in your routine
    
    •Examples:
    
    •Showering
    
    •Eating Breakfast
    
    •Commuting
    

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28. @tech_christine
    

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29. @tech_christine
    The Negative Habit Loop
    

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30. @tech_christine
    Tips for making a habit stick
    •Find what you like
    about the habit
    
    •Have a habit buddy
    
    •Have a way of keeping
    score
    
    •Make it hard to not do
    the habit
    

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31. @tech_christine
    Treat your habit like a sprint and have a retro
    

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32. @tech_christine
    How will this help Dell?
    They have a resolution list a mile long
    
    • Mark that list off one at a time
    
    Starts and stops trying to tackle
    procrastination, healthy eating,
    exercise...
    
    • Habits build on habits, start small
    
    Lots of to-do lists
    
    • Make sure the habit is part of a
    long term goal
    Dell
    Product Designer
    

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33. @tech_christine
    What is the struggle?
    •Avoids Challenges
    
    •Gives up easily
    
    •Feels threatened by the
    success of others
    Nick
    Network Engineer
    

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34. @tech_christine
    What is a solution?
    Growth Mindset
    

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35. @tech_christine
    

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36. Think of yourself like
    vanilla software
    It is just a starting point, can always improve with
    more add-ons and frameworks
    

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37. @tech_christine
    Belief ➡ Action ➡ Growth
    

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38. @tech_christine
    Questions to challenge why
    • Why hide deficiencies instead of overcoming them?
    
    • Why look for friends or partners who will just shore
    up your self-esteem instead of ones who will also
    challenge you to grow?
    
    • Why seek out the tried and true, instead of
    experiences that will stretch you?
    

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39. @tech_christine
    

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40. @tech_christine
    Fixed vs Growth Mindset
    I suck at math vs Math has been challenging for me
    
    I’ll never be an artist vs I feel dissatisfied with all of the
    art I’ve tried to make
    
    I’m not good at handstands vs I haven’t learned how to
    do handstands yet
    

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41. @tech_christine
    

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42. @tech_christine
    How to put it into practice?
    • Accept you are not perfect, but can improve
    
    • Change your perspective on failure and criticism
    
    • Don't focus on the end result, focus on the process
    
    • Learning fast != learning well
    

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43. @tech_christine
    If you find yourself discouraged
    Remember, “I’m just not good at this yet.”
    
    

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44. @tech_christine
    Imposter syndrome and mindset
    • Just a mindset
    
    • Like a fixed
    mindset, it might
    be helped by
    focusing on growth
    xkcd.com/1954
    

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45. @tech_christine
    How will this help Nick?
    Avoids Challenges
    
    •Embrace Challenges for learning
    opportunities
    
    Gives up easily
    
    •Only through some perseverance
    can you learn
    
    Feels threatened by the success of
    others
    
    •Find lessons and inspirations in
    others success
    Nick
    Network Engineer
    

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46. @tech_christine
    What is the struggle?
    • Has a long reading list and
    no time
    
    • Backlog of emails and
    articles to read
    
    • Wants to stay current in tech
    and business articles Peyton
    Product Manager
    

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47. @tech_christine
    A solution? Speed Reading
    

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48. @tech_christine
    Reading is a three step process
    1. Fixate
    
    2. Saccade
    
    3. Process
    

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49. @tech_christine
    Speed Reading Techniques
    •Skimming
    
    •Meta guiding
    
    •Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP)
    

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50. @tech_christine
    RSVP Example
    

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51. @tech_christine
    Increase your throughput
    

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52. @tech_christine
    Note of caution
    speed and comprehension
    can be a trade-off
    

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53. @tech_christine
    A solution? Speed Reading
    Smarter Reading (which might make you faster)
    

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54. @tech_christine
    Better Reading Technique
    1. Skim before
    
    2. Improve your fluency to help your speed
    
    3. Know what you want, before reading
    
    4. For better retention, think and examine the text
    

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55. @tech_christine
    How will this help Peyton?
    Has a long reading list and no time
    
    • Reading time gains will help cut that list
    
    Backlog of emails and articles to read
    
    • Skim the ones with less retention
    needed, read smarter with others
    
    Wants to stay current in tech and business
    articles
    
    • Will be a thing of the past
    Peyton
    Product Manager
    

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56. @tech_christine
    Evette
    Software Engineer
    Nick
    Network Engineer
    Dell
    Product Designer
    Peyton
    Product Manager
    Mindfulness Growth Mindset
    Habit Building Speed Reading
    #
    ✒
    

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57. @tech_christine
    Mindfulness Growth Mindset
    Habit Building Speed Reading
    #
    ✒
    

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58. @tech_christine
    What questions do you have?
    

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59. @tech_christine
    Put your comments and feedback here!
    

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60. @tech_christine
    Mindfulness Resources
    • Timeless Truths for Modern Mindfulness by Arnie Kozak
    
    • Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation In
    Everyday Life by Jon Kabat-Zinn
    
    • https://nickwignall.com/how-to-start-a-mindfulness-practice/
    
    • https://www.mindful.org/jon-kabat-zinn-defining-mindfulness/
    
    • https://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/mindfulnessmatters/2016/09/
    why-i-meditate.html#Zaf9kZtxufdT1z3W.99
    
    • https://counterculturist.net/mindfulness-meditation-beginners/
    
    • http://bethannvetter.com/meditation-or-attunement?
    
    • https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/what-does-
    mindfulness-meditation-do-to-your-brain/
    

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61. @tech_christine
    Habit Building
    • Essential Zen Habits: Mastering the Art of Change, Briefly by Leo
    Babauta
    
    • The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
    
    • https://zenhabits.net/how-habits-are-formed/
    
    • https://zenhabits.net/habit-motivations/
    
    • https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2009/aug/how-long-does-it-take-form-
    habit
    
    • https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-media-psychology-
    effect/201705/the-habit-replacement-loop
    

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62. @tech_christine
    Growth Mindset Resources
    • Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck
    
    • https://www.mindsetworks.com/science/
    
    • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5836039/
    
    • http://theconversation.com/growth-mindset-interventions-yield-
    impressive-results-97423
    
    • https://fs.blog/2015/03/carol-dweck-mindset/
    
    • https://hbr.org/2016/01/what-having-a-growth-mindset-actually-
    means
    
    • https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/tvc/vol34/iss1/6/
    

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63. @tech_christine
    Speed Reading
    • Language at the Speed of Sight: How We Read, Why So Many
    Can’t, and What Can Be Done About It by Mark Seidenberg
    
    • https://tim.blog/2009/07/30/speed-reading-and-accelerated-
    learning/
    
    • https://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2015/01/19/speed-reading-
    redo/
    
    • https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/BF03197271
    
    • https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.
    0036091
    
    • https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4229
    

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64. @tech_christine
    christine-seeman.com/talks
    Thank you to Prairie.code organizers and volunteers!
    And to all of you for attending today
    '
    

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65. getflywheel.com/about/careers
    

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