Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
checking whether all things go as planned. This emptiness is sometimes
referred to as mindfulness. The ideal situation is established when the
nonconscious system performs the task and the conscious system just
follows and uses awareness to scan everything happening.
The free workspace in our brain works best if it is dedicated to only one
activity.
This perfect alignment between the two systems becomes disturbed
when the conscious system gets involved with other internal or external
interferences. These interferences are like obstructions that keep you
from doing the best and safest job. More common disturbances are:
Multitasking. Fast switching between two or more tasks while
multitasking can kill alertness. Each task is then done with only a
limited amount of attention because it takes time to load and
unload the information needed in the workspace. The more complex
the tasks are, the more time is needed to fully concentrate. For com-
plex tasks, the shift takes a few minutes.
Unfinished business. When an old task is not completed satisfacto-
rily, the brain continues to expend energy on how to finish that
task. We sometimes talk about an open gates that likes to be closed.
The more open ends, the more parts of the workspace that are used
for those considerations. Personal circumstances (worries about the
family, children, friends, and so on) can also have the same effect.
Worries about future events. If people start worrying about tasks
that have to be done in the near future or the amount of work that
never seems to reduce, these worries steal part of the workspace.
Self-dialogue. We constantly give ourselves feedback on what we
are doing, both positive (
“
you are doing great
”
), neutral (
“
come on,
just a few
...
left to do
”
), and negative (
“
stupid you, you should
have
...
”
). Some people can control their internal self-dialogue very
well; others almost seem to be an unwilling victim of their internal
voice. Internal dialogue keeps you from giving attention to the task.
Meditation and mindfulness training increase the control you have
over your own self-dialogue.
Disturbing impulses. The physical climate
for example, a climate
that is too warm, too cold, or too humid, hard sounds, changing
light effects, moving objects, and chitchat between colleagues
—
—
can
also influence and distract attention.
