Train Your PFC!
- Written by preethab30
If you have seen my podcasts and videos I have mentioned about how the PFC and the limbic system work closely to deliver results. If your limbic system is aroused then the performance of the PFC goes down. Training the limbic system which takes care of the emotions is one way to ensure that the PFC performs its functions properly. As the PFC is the one that is responsible for the functioning of the 5 Conscious Thoughts- Understanding, Recalling, Memorizing, Deciding and Inhibitions.
Remember about how the PFC is like a stage and at any particular time it cannot accommodate more than four thoughts? On the other hand, you might have seen people who are very good at multitasking. If the PFC can hold limited information then how is it possible?
Well, what if I told you there are ways to train your PFC so it is clutter-free?
Some activities are just a simple execution of patterns. Take chopping vegetables, for example. Suppose, there’s a chef who has years of experience. One day a famous news anchor comes to interview her. The interview has to be organic, so the chef decides to answer the questions while she’s cutting vegetables. Now, imagine if the same thing happens to you. You are chopping vegetables and side by side answering your kid, who is constantly bombarding you with questions. Who do you think will perform better? Of course, the chef will outperform you. This is because the chef has years of experience. The activity of chopping vegetables is embedded in her brain now and it comes to her naturally.
Repetitive tasks get stored in a region called Basal Ganglia. Hence, executing a pattern related task can be easily clubbed with another activity. Basal Ganglia is a great resource because it frees up your PFC, allowing you to concentrate on other tasks.
For example, it has been observed that homemakers are generally good at multitasking. I have seen women who manage multiple things at the same time. I once saw a woman who was folding clothes while guiding her daughter with homework. Every time her daughter made a mistake, she quickly pointed it out, while folding the clothes. She was performing two tasks simultaneously. Folding of clothes requires less attention and it is very mundane. This task was being performed by the basal ganglia. The second task, that is teaching, requires effort and concentration. This task was performed by the prefrontal cortex.
You already know that the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex work in resonance. Similarly, the basal ganglia and the PFC work together. The basal ganglia takes off burden from the PFC so that it can perform the more complex tasks.
All these parts of the brain help one to become self-reliant, independent and effective workers. I want to help you train your PFC and the limbic system so you can learn to multitask or atleast understand whether one can do that at all?
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Respects,
Certified Women’s Independence Coach
Preetha