The Organized Mind summary

Decisions are part of everyday life: Should we opt for the cheaper internet plan, or pay more and get unlimited data? Should we respond to this email now, or read these texts first?

Nowadays, we confront decisions like these nearly every minute.

The taxi is idling outside. It’s going to be tight to make the flight. The itinerary is done. You have plenty of cash. You definitely packed your favorite t-shirt. Your partner and kids are loading the bags, you do one quick check to make sure you have the passports and – oh shoot! Where are my keys? They were in my pants!

Keys, glasses, phone, your favorite pen – it’s so frustrating that the objects we need with us all the time are also the ones that seem to go missing most often.

“Designate a specific location in your house that will be home to these objects. Be strict about adhering to it.”

So far, we’ve looked at a few of the systems in the creaky old house of the brain, and how they influence our memory and our focus. So here’s where the really powerful part comes in. Because now we’ll talk about what you can do to make your brain as effective as possible.

For example, say you were assigned a project at work and you start thinking about so many ideas and thoughts about how to get it started and they’re all just floating around inside your head. What’s the best way to deal with that?

“Writing things down conserves the mental energy expended in worrying that you might forget something and in trying not to forget it.”

So, creating categories is essential to organizing our thoughts and our lives. But what should we do with the objects and ideas that don’t seem to belong in any category?

We need to create a new category: think of them as junk drawers.

Writing things down, categorizing, junk drawers – these are a few ways to do what the brain really loves: reduce the number of things it’s working on at any given moment. But there are other things the brain also loves – and needs, really – to stay fit. Let’s just talk about one of those, arguably the most important one. We’re talking, of course, about sleep.

Everyone knows that we’re far more productive after a good night’s sleep. And yet we’re often tempted to stay up until one or two am, just to squeeze in a few more emails or watch “just one more episode.”

“The companies that are winning the productivity battle are those that allow their employees productivity hours, naps, a chance for exercise . . .”