Mind
and matter
Learn how to use both sides of your brain
to think better
To keep your brain in shape, consider spending time on
activities which help to exercise your cortical
skills.
FOR over 40 years, Professor Tony Buzan, the original inventor
of Mind Maps and an international bestselling author, has been
travelling around the world teaching people how to think better and
more creatively by activating their brain skills.
In delivering a lecture in Singapore about how we
could use our brain effectively, he said: "When you buy a computer,
it comes with a user manual. Before you start using a washing
machine, it is better to run through the operations manual to see
how to use the machine features.
"However, there is no manual to teach us how to use
our brains when we are born - despite the fact that our brains are
so much more powerful and feature- rich than any other machines in
the world!" If we desire to be knowledgeable and become effective
thinkers, we really need to know how our brain works, how to
develop it for our purpose and how to take good care of it.
Know how your brain works
In 1981, Dr Roger Sperry was awarded the Nobel Prize for
Medicine and Physiology for his work with "split-brain" patients.
The studies demonstrated that the left and right hemispheres of the
brain are specialised in different tasks.
Our brain hemispheres perform a comprehensive range
of intellectual tasks known as cortical skills. Dr Sperry found
that the left side of the brain generally performs analystical and
verbal tasks, while the right side has the cortical skills to
appreciate music, identify colours and shapes and see the big
picture. This right dominant side also takes care of imagination
and daydreaming.
Dr Sperry also concluded that the more these
activities were integrated, the more the brain's performance became
cooperative, with each intellectual skill enhancing the performance
of other intellectual areas, thereby generating a synergistic
effect of both the left and right sides ofthe brain.
How to develop your brain
Once you understand what yeur brain is capable of, you should
explore further to see how to tap and activate these cortical
skills for your benefit. Most importantly, you should try a "whole
brain" approach that synergises all your brain skills together.
For instance, if you want to keep your body in
shape, you cannot focus on training one specific muscle group. All
muscle groups are interconnected and the power of a total workout
involving all the muscles will help to shape your body in optimal
overall proportions.
When you go for a body workout, you may need to use
training apparatus such as weights or dumb-bells to exercise your
muscles. Similarly, to keep your brain in shape, you can consider
spending time on activities which help to exercise your cortical
skills.
For instance, you can spend pockets of time playing
brain teaser games like Sudoku, crossword puzzles, IQ quizzes and
chess. It is better if the activity involves the cortical skills of
the whole brain.
Mind mapping is a great tool for the brain to
organise tasks, analyse issues, generate ideas and plan projects.
When you mind-map regularly, you are practising visual thinking and
exercising the fundamental memory powers and information.
Take care of your brain
It is of utmost importance to first take good care of your body,
which is the host of your brain. With a healthy body, your brain
gets the necessary nutrients and support system to perform at its
prime. So, eat healthily and include good brain food such as
salmon, blueberries, avocados, nuts and seeds in your diet. Start
an exercise regime that suits your work schedule.
When your body is in good shape, you will find that
your mind is clearer, and you can think better and faster. At this
point, you are perfectly poised to achieve the lists of things you
have set out to do.
Article by Eric
Cheong, managing director of Brain Capital Group, a leading
training and consulting company in Asia specialising in brain
skills development. He has been an accredited senior instructor of
Tony Buzan's techniques in mind mapping, memory, speed reading,
creative thinking and iMindMap software (master trainer) since
2006. For more information, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.buzanasia.com.
Recruit, Classified, The Straits Times, Monday, November 24,
2014, Pg C16