SIMPLE BRAIN HACKS TO GET MORE DONE

Based on the work of David Rock “Your Brain at Work” and Nir Eyal, NirAndFar.com
NirAndFar.com

HOW TO STOP FORGETTING IDEAS

}} Speak it to yourself out loud, record it. Speaking out loud to yourself helps your brain process the information in a different way. Send voice notes to
friends or employees, or try an app like Braintoss to send voice memos with two taps.

}} Use visuals, draw pictures, maps, figures. Your brain can process a lot of simultaneous information with pictures. Use visual tools in your notes to help
you understand a concept or to help you describe ideas to other people.

}} Tell someone else, write an email, text it. Don’t hold ideas and thoughts in your head, share with your friends or family before they eventually melt
away.

}} Write stuff down immediately. The longer you hold something in your mind, the more it will fade over time. Write it down before it fades.
Put a note pad near your bed, in your car, in your wallet, or in your gym locker.

HOW TO TACKLE BIG PROJECTS THAT ARE HARD TO THINK ABOUT

Your brain can’t hold too many details at once. Worry about specifics later and focus on the big picture first.
}} Forget details, zoom out to the big picture.
Identify major components, challenges, and overall project goals.

}} Simplify to 2 choices or 3 concepts. Reduce big ideas or decisions to a few concepts or choices. Decisions are easier with fewer choices because it
is easier for the brain to compare and contrast 2-3 items versus 6-7.

The brain can only hold a small number of pieces in working memory at once. Make ‘chunks’ of information to
}} Chunk information down.
reduce the number of pieces. Example 768994320 vs 768 994 320

}} Use storyboards for a rough timeline. Write out tasks or ideas on index cards and lay them out on a table. Arrange and rearrange the pieces to find a
timeline of events, then identify which pieces can be done at the same time.

BRAIN
HACKS NirAndFar.com
HOW TO SUCK LESS AT MULTITASKING
No one is good at it. If you must, here’s how...

}} Choose the tasks carefully. Not all tasks can be combined. Multitasking is hardest when tasks require focus. Do difficult tasks one at a
time while pairing tasks together.

}} Automate your tasks. Make habits. The more embedded these behaviors are, the less mistakes you make when multitasking.

}} Use memory triggers. Go easy on your brain and make useful information triggers. Make reminders, set alarms, create calendar
events, use lists, and write notes to yourself.

}} Use to-do lists even for things you’d To-do lists are not just for things you might forget. Add tasks you want to turn into routines as well. Writing
remember. down daily taks like “meditate” or “take a walk” will provide a sense of satisfaction when checking them off
your list.

HOW TO BECOME A MENTAL BLOCK NINJA

}} Remove bad distractions. Visual distractions can impair focus. Remove both physical and virtual clutter from your desktops. Avoiding
distraction will help stay focused on the task at hand.

Nonlinear solutions are needed to sidestep mental blocks. Describe the problem to someone else who has
}} Get a fresh perspective. little understanding to get a new approach to the issue. Try describing it to a fifth grader.

}} Use technology to unplug. Use apps like “Self Control”, “Freedom,” and “Forest” to disconnect from distracting technology when you need
to focus.

}} Get happy. Stress and anxiety can kill creative processes. If you get stuck, take time to boost your mood with laughter.
Keep a funny book handy or listen to a comedy podcast for a few minutes.

TAKE BETTER BREAKS

}} Doodle or color. Letting your mind wander creativity between tough tasks can help you focus better when you get back to
work.

Some insights can only come from focused thinking time. Give yourself the time to work through tough
}} Schedule time to think. problems on your own.

}} Walk in nature. Taking some time to walk outdoors can provide the change of scenery you need to think more creatively.

}} Take a 5-minute meditation break. Numerous studies have found meditation can enhance learning, memory, and emotional regulation. Try an
app like “Headspace” or “Calm” to build a meditation routine.

NirAndFar.com
YOU’RE NEVER DONE
Finding ways to work smarter is a never-ending process. Try these other tips.

There’s power in keeping important ideals top of mind and we need to repeat them daily to make them sink
}} Repeat your ideals daily. in. Just as prayer reminds believers of their purpose, you can create your own daily mantras of what matters
most to you. Find meaningful quotes and use your phone’s reminder app to read them daily until you know
them by heart.

Take a few minutes to review what went well that day and what could have gone better. Then, think of one
}} Review and adapt. actionable way to improve the next day.

Every night before going to bed, take the time to write down the single priority item you resolve to complete
}} What’s tomorrow’s priority? the following day to move you or your business closer to your goals.

Make a list of any and all habits, routines, or people in your life making you less productive and taking
}} Create a “stop doing” list. you farther away from your desired quality of life. Cut out all the crap that’s not making your life more
meaningful.

NIR EYAL
Nir Eyal writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of
psychology, technology, and business. The M.I.T. Technology Review
dubbed Nir, “The Prophet of Habit-Forming Technology.”

Nir founded two tech companies since 2003 and has taught at the
Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute
of Design at Stanford. He is the author of the bestselling book,
Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products.

Tips based in part on the book by