In Building Bridges Leadership’s webinar “Othering” – The Harm of Exclusion & How to Avoid It, we look at a number of reasons we all make biased decisions. One major factor that’s true for us all is that our brains take in around 11 millions bits of information per second – a number that has increased dramatically over the last 30 years with the growth of the internet and the birth of smartphones – and yet our brains, which take millions of years to evolve, are hard-wired to consciously process only 50 bits of information per second. So by necessity, our brains make millions of subconscious short-cuts – biased decisions – all the time. And yet, our world is evolving to make it easier to take in more information all the time!
Short of getting rid of our phones and turning off our internet – which, if you can do it, could actually serve you very well! – what else can we do to still our minds and help our decision-making be more conscious and thoughtful?
This Week’s Tip:
Build “Breathing Breaks” into your day. In our busy-ness, our breath becomes short and quick, increasing tension in our bodies. Break up your day by adding in “Breathing Break” moments – moments where you close your eyes and focus on breathing slowly and deeply. By breathing deeply, you slow your mind and relax your body, allowing you to process information more calmly, and make choices more aligned with your beliefs. Breathing Breaks may be 30 seconds, fifteen minutes, or as long or short as you’d like, but practicing these regularly over time is key in stilling your mind.
Building Bridges Leadership 