[This DrP article was first published on Next Evolution Performance]
High performers often find themselves juggling multiple tasks, attending back-to-back meetings, and constantly responding to emails. While this might seem like the epitome of productivity, it’s actually draining your most valuable resource: your #MentalRAM.
Traditional energy management strategies often fail high performers because they don’t account for the unique demands placed on their mental and physical resources, or that many high performers are showing up at work and functioning despite going through high levels of stress, depression and anxiety. Generic solutions– even if they are considered ‘gold standard’– are based on the average, and do not work for high performers. To truly excel, it’s crucial to understand and optimise your #MentalRAM.
Understanding Mental RAM: The iPhone Analogy
Think of your brain as an iPhone. When your iPhone is new or has just been restarted, it runs smoothly and quickly. Apps open instantly, and everything feels responsive. This is because the phone’s RAM (Random Access Memory) is clear and available for immediate use. However, as you use your iPhone throughout the day, opening multiple apps and leaving them running in the background, you might notice it starts to slow down. That’s because these background apps are consuming RAM, leaving less available for the task at hand. Your brain works similarly.
Every task, thought, or piece of information you're holding on to, consumes a portion of your #MentalRAM. The more you try to juggle simultaneously, the less capacity you have for focused, high-quality work. Your speed slows, your actions become more sluggish, you get frustrated with yourself, and you make more mistakes.This also makes you more prone to frustration and burnout. At a certain point, there is only so much extra time and effort you can throw at the solution, because time has become your limiting factor.
Mental and physical energy are deeply interconnected. Physical activities like exercise can boost mental clarity, while mental fatigue can manifest as physical exhaustion. Optimising #MentalRAM involves mastering both mental and physical resources effectively.
Strategies for Spending #MentalRAM Wisely
Prioritisation Techniques for High-Stakes Decisions
High performers often face numerous high-stakes decisions daily. Prioritising tasks based on their impact and urgency can help conserve #MentalRAM. Techniques like the Eisenhower Matrix can be useful in categorising tasks and focusing on what truly matters.
Via Ness Labs
Cognitive Offloading: Using Technology to Free Up Mental Space
Just as you might close background apps on your iPhone to free up RAM, you can use tools like note-taking apps or task management systems to offload information from your brain.
I particularly like using horizontal lists, with a | breaking up the different sections. When they are done, they are pasted just below on a TADAH! DONE! list. This frees up #MentalRAM for more critical tasks, and that satisfaction of completion recharges energy.
The Role of Mindfulness in Preserving Mental Energy
Mindfulness practices can help clear mental clutter and improve focus. By this, I do not mean the sanctimonious refrain I often hear, “if you do not have an hour to meditate daily, then you need to find two hours”. What I mean is, three deep breaths, when done correctly, has the power to reset your brain. Your fear center– which hijacks our minds even when we think we are not stressed– gets soothed, and your wiser prefrontal cortex comes back online.
Techniques for Gaining Mental RAM
High-Yield Recovery Practices for Busy Professionals
Recovery is essential for replenishing Mental RAM. Practices like power naps, deep breathing exercises, and short, frequent breaks can help restore mental energy quickly. I call this spending time to buy more time.
Nutrition and Exercise Strategies for Optimal Brain Function
A balanced diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and vitamins supports brain health. Regular physical exercise, especially aerobic activities, can enhance cognitive function and mental resilience. I often recommend that if you are having a starchy meal, eat your green vegetables first, before your protein and fat, then carbs. This will change the way your blood sugar spikes, helping your brain to stay sharper.
The Power of Strategic Breaks and “Mental Resets”
Strategic breaks, such as the Pomodoro Technique (25 minutes of focused work followed by a 5-minute break), can help maintain high levels of productivity without depleting Mental RAM. If you have a shorter attention span like me and my other ADHD-ers, then figure out what your least objectionable time span is. Mine is 7 minutes– knowing that amount is that small makes it easy for me to get on with things rather than procrastinate.
Building a Lean and Agile Lifestyle
Streamlining Daily Routines for Efficiency
Simplifying your daily routines can reduce decision fatigue and conserve #MentalRAM.
Establishing consistent habits or outsourcing for mundane tasks allows you to save mental energy for more important activities.
Things that you don’t need to actively hold in the forefront of your brain-- e.g. tiny tasks that can be done right now, or written down in lists you can easily retrieve information from-- will free up loads of cognitive energy.
Delete Toxic People
All you need is one toxic person in a high performing team, to make that team’s performance lower than that of medium performers. This is the same for your social or family life. High performers, especially women, can be over-giving and work very hard in relationships, finding excuses for why people act in questionable ways, and taking responsibility for others’ bad behaviours. Other clues can be words like “I am an empath, this is what my life is like”, “If I give up on this person, they might [do something bad].” The thing is, by a certain age, we have to learn to behave like decent human beings and grow as people; we learn to become increasingly accountable. And you taking responsibility for others will only exhaust you.
Implementing Flexible Work Strategies
Flexible work strategies, such as remote work or adjustable hours, can help you master your #MentalRAM more effectively. This flexibility allows you to align your work schedule with your peak mental performance times. One thing I love is to follow one’s chronotype, or to figure out which hours of which day you have the highest mental energy. Then, allocate the most energetically-demanding tasks to those hours.
Mental vs Physical Energy
Knowing the difference between mental and physical energy helps too. When I was powering down because plenty of my brain resources was diverted to looking out for my family in the wake of a health crisis, I sometimes got frustrated with myself that I could find the energy to bike 8km but nothing to grow my business. This is because mental energy involves one’s mental capacity, cognitive reserves, and motivation– the willingness and ability to do something. And finally living through this difference, taught me not to waste even more energy getting upset with myself. As for you, especially during peak periods or crisis times, know how to tell the difference between mental and physical energy, and recognise them. Learn what boosts them, and leverage them when they appear instead of getting upset about having one over the other. As I have learnt, I could have come out the other side completely battered instead of having a body full of lean muscle that now fits into the dresses my 17-year old self bought whilst feasting on afternoon teas and pizzas. Whatever energy appears, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
Balancing High-Intensity Periods with Strategic Recovery
High performers often go through intense periods of work followed by recovery phases. Balancing these periods ensures that your #MentalRAM is replenished regularly, preventing burnout. As two Olympians taught me, you can never go to elite levels if you don’t know how to recover.
The Long-Term Benefits of Optimising #MentalRAM
Optimising #MentalRAM lead to sustained high performance, better decision-making, and improved overall well-being. This way, you build a personal and professional culture where targets are hit without burning out, and you get to enjoy some fun and meaning in-between.
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