Ep. 116 - More Action, Less Thinking = A Power Tool for the Brain

Sometimes, just "doing" without thinking can be a gift we give to our brains. In this episode we are going to explore the ways we can boost our brains, while still enjoying a sense of accomplishment. If your brain is ready for a break, join in and discover how less thinking and more action can rejuvenate your mind and elevate your well being. 

Transcript

I’ve recently been doing home improvement projects, and I was getting quotes on different services, and it all adds up. So I decided to try out a few things on my own. In doing so I ended up borrowing a power washer or a pressure washer from somebody and it has quickly become my new favorite outdoor activity. 

This sturdy little tool is about the size of a vacuum cleaner. It connects to a garden hose and has a long handle and different shaped nozzles. After a few click clicks and a steady supply of water, you have an outdoor version of those little, pink erasers from our school days. 

All of a sudden, I am whisking away the subtle accumulation of seasons. Over the course of time, it’s easy to miss those little layers of life that coat and crust our everyday view.

Now with my power tool, I have a newfound means to refresh my surroundings. 

The Bottom Line on Top of this episode is that sometimes it takes a little elbow grease to see what’s been there all along. 

There’s something really gratifying about seeing progress that you create. In our digital days, clicking through emails and apps doesn’t have the same satisfaction as seeing results of your physical work. I am power scrubbing everything within reach, nothing is really safe from me these days.

Most of us manage the equivalent of a mental marathon each day with all of the juggling of the life details from our devices. When we take on a task that requires physical exertion, it actually activates different parts of our brains – and of course, gets our bodies moving as well. That’s a double win. 

Repetitive action also helps hone our focus and can help turn down the volume on the background chatter in our head. This cognitive pause button combined with physical activity can be a very effective stress reliever. 

Single-focus activities like folding clothes, washing dishes, sweeping, vacuuming, etc., combine form and function. By having a repeated action, the brain clicks off that it knows what to do and settles off into subconsciousness for a bit, which in turn can activate the large-scale region of the brain called the Default Mode Network. 

When we don’t have to hyper focus on stimuli or attention-demanding tasks, our Default Mode Network creates what neuroscientists call “wakeful rest.” This is also common during meditation, where our brain just powers down a little less.

As a result, the mind then has more room for things like daydreaming and creative thinking plus there are studies that show a slowdown in stress and anxiety can also come from this subconscious, wakeful rest.

A key element here is activity that doesn’t increase decision making (such as when you are sorting through papers and closets and you have to make decisions on what you're touching, that might also have memories or other people’s opinions). Instead, the special sauce here is action that leads to tangible progress without requiring extended effort. So you have some clean dishes at the end of it, you have folded laundry, and so on. Not a lot of heavy lifting mentally, or physically.

But that physical action is important to this example as it is in itself a disruptor to our over-connected brains. There are outlets for also when we aren’t able to get-up-and-go and do the physical as much. 

I was telling my friend about my new nerdy power washing hobby, and she said, oh yes! I’ve seen those great videos online of people power washing.

Um, wait, what? There are actual videos of this?

Sure enough, she sent me a link later that day to someone in England who made a video of him power washing a driveway that was covered in soot and grime and underneath was this decorative brick that really just came out with all these different colors. I fast forwarded a bunch during it, but I definitely saw the appeal and I was in it to see the end result. 

So back to our own brain and our own brawn. See where there is room for your Default Mode Network to have some airtime this week. You might find a brain boost when you switch it on during an otherwise heavy thinking day. Especially if you find yourself going slower and feeling sluggish.

See if there is a task that you don’t mind doing where there is motion but not a lot of thinking. I’ve often joked that some of my best solutions come when I’ve taken a break to walk the dog. Very familiar path, but sometimes the thinking gets an important kickstart.

And speaking of thinking–uncover the thinking that is a few layers under the surface for you or simply enjoy a break from all the layers of thinking that you always seem to be doing. Either way, you might find a new outlet for some current energy or a fresh shine on something that’s already in view but just under a little dust.

There is always time to take time to take good care. And I hope that you do today. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a few things to go find to shine.