Shifting the "mental gear"
Transitioning from one activity to the other.
10-year-old Ritika is watching tv. She has a zoom class in 15 minutes. Her caregiver asks her to switch off the tv and sit for the class. Throughout the class, Ritika is fidgety and is unable to focus.
What’s happening to Ritika?
Ritika is struggling with shifting her focus. She needs to find a way to transition from one activity to another. In short, she needs to be able to “mentally switch gears”.
What does “mentally shifting gears” mean?
Just like a car needs to change gears every time it takes a break, our mind needs to learn the skill of “shifting gears”.
We need to be able to disengage from one activity in order to engage in another. This requires the skill of being able to mentally pause what we are doing in the first place.
How do we “pause” or “shift gears?”
Make a list- Sometimes our mind is unable to focus on one activity because it is continuously thinking about what to do next. Making a list before we start our day, helps our mind understand what to do when. This helps it stay focused on one activity, and thus disengage once the next activity starts.
Practise pausing- Being able to pause is a skill. Play the “freeze” game with the children. Play music and tell the child to stop moving once the music stops. This is a great way to train the brain. As adults, try changing spaces when you shift from one activity to another. This can be taking a simple walk in between your activities, or doing your daily chores.
Close all mental tabs- When we feel overwhelmed, our brain is continuously trying to process information. This prevents it from being able to pause. Read this article to understand how you can “close the tabs”.
Create spaces- One way to shift gears is by literally shifting spaces. Allot different spaces for different activities if possible. Try creating a dedicated workspace and a dedicated leisure space. . Lying down and working on your laptop, is tempting. But, this is what prevents us from being able to pause in the first place. If shifting spaces is not possible, try using a different device. Use your laptop for work, and phone for leisure.
Music- If you love listening to music, create a playlist for every activity. Create a “work”, “relax” and “exercise” playlist to start. Our mind associates and connects with a sound very quickly. Shifting playlists help it shifts from one activity to another smoothly.
Set an exit point - Sometimes our mind is unable to transition because it does not know what is the exit point. For example, when I say that I am going to research for two hours, my mind does not know the end goal. However, if I say that I am going to research and come up with my article idea in two hours; my mind knows that this activity finishes as soon as I write a title for my article. Write the expected outcome of an activity, before you start doing it.
Write. Write. Write- Our thoughts live rent-free in our minds. When transitioning from one activity to another, an awesome idea for the previous activity might pop up. Write it down, and say that you will deal with this once you finish your to-do list for the day. This prevents us from going back to the same activity over and over again.
Remember, being able to pause is a skill that needs to be practiced consistently. Let’s oil our brain gears and help them work smoothly!
Here is a quick refrigerator sheet for you:
Being able to pause is a skill.
Make a to-do list and shift spaces.
Don’t let your thoughts live rent-free in your mind.
I used to do this often.