In today's busy world, the brain does some interesting things to try and keep up.
In my workshops, I often talk about what I call the three disruptive activities the brain defaults to when work gets busy and cognitive load increases:
1️⃣ Multitasking - Trying to do two or three things at once. Neuroscience is clear on this: we don’t multitask, we task‑switch, and every switch comes with a cost. Attention fragments, mistakes increase, and mental fatigue ramps up.
2️⃣ Procrastination - Putting important or effortful tasks off to deal with what’s right in front of us. This is the brain avoiding complexity or discomfort in favour of short‑term relief.
3️⃣ Attentional narrowing - Also known as reactive mode, when demands pile up, the brain narrows its focus. We become busy but not effective.
From a neuroscience perspective, this happens when the prefrontal cortex becomes overloaded, and the brain shifts from thinking to coping.
It’s efficient for survival, but it’s terrible for getting through meaningful work, leaving many well-intentioned people feeling exhausted.
Feeling like they’ve been flat out all day, yet barely getting through their to-do list.
The solution is to:
➡️ Take micro‑breaks to reset attention
➡️ Limit distractions so the brain doesn’t default to reactive mode
➡️ Use lists and structure to offload memory and regain perspective
Start working with your brain, not against it.
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The Disruptive Activities of a Busy Brain!