Write it down
Just one coffee please
Intention.
Something I consciously mean to do.
I’ve been thinking a lot about that lately… and not just on the golf course.*
Intention takes energy, awareness, and commitment.
How can I make sure I support my good intentions?
One thing is for sure – I need to keep my prefrontal cortex online!
I hope I didn’t just lose you there. Did you just say “my prefrontal what??”?
Stick with me please.
I’ve been learning as much as I can about my brain since the global pandemic. I actually think it is a good thing for everyone to understand some essential parts – like the way our basal ganglia and limbic system (major parts of our old brain) and our prefrontal cortex (young brain) act differently. They act so differently, in fact, we might think we have multiple personalities!
Image of a brain from Golf Beneath the Surface
Can I please tell you more?
Our old brain (older because it has been developing in humans for much longer) is faster and stronger than our young brain.
Our old brain has a habit of over-estimating and over-anticipating risk while our young brain is more thoughtful and deliberate about what is real and what is perceived.
Our old brain is more emotional than our rational young brain.
Our old brain is less accurate than our young brain who takes the time it needs to be sure.
Our old brain relies on habits when our young brain is busy slowly working through problems and new ideas.
Problems arise when our old brain reacts before our young brain can step in. Problems get worse when our old brain becomes so insistent and overwhelmed, it completely shuts down the young brain. When the old brain does this, as Dr. Prior states, it effectively relies on its “safety-first hardware to paint our experiences as it sees fit, usually with the same repeated patterns of thought and behaviors”.
Can you see how intention would be completely challenged in such a situation? It wouldn’t even exist!
Let me give you a real life example to help explain – which will be confessional on my part.
I was fending for myself while my husband was traveling for work this past week. Eating for one is always a bit more challenging for me, and I found myself falling back on a couple of “contradictory habits” (as opposed to supportive and neutral habits) like drinking what would have been his cup of coffee as well as my own and eating a lot of potato chips.
My body became increasingly unhappy with me, and forced me to a conversation at 3am one night. It was decided I needed to make some changes. The next morning, with intention on my side, I made a new section on my “Today" plan entitled “Commit”. Under that section, I wrote “no chips” and “one coffee”. This was my way of keeping it in focus throughout the day.
I was tested throughout the day – I did some shopping and found myself craving french fries – which are just soft chips, right? I wavered. I could stop at the shop across the street. Or I could go for a longer walk and get some poutine. But as I walked, I remembered my commitment to myself, and I realized I could replace that crunchy salty item with homemade popcorn – gluten-free and healthy for me. And that is exactly what I did.
I managed to keep the commitment to myself, so I guess I kept my prefrontal cortex online long enough to win that battle.
That is just one small example where I kept my commitment to myself. I have other examples where the end of the story is not quite so pleasant. But this was a good reminder for me as there is something about writing it down which helps with intention.
Writing things down doesn’t just help you remember, it makes your mind more efficient by helping you focus on the truly important stuff.
— Mark Murphy
I think we can all use some good “life hacks” to get through our day – and even better when it comes with intention. What do you need to write down today?
*After reading Golf Beneath the Surface by Raymond Prior, I began to use the building blocks of mindfulness in my pre-shot routine: intention, groundedness and acceptance. I intentionally set my target, whispering “intention”. I connect with my breath, and take a couple of practice swings. I ground my feet by the ball and move my body into position. “Groundedness,” I whisper. I begin to swing my club with “acceptance.”
Resources
Prior, Raymond. 2023. Golf Beneath the Surface. Dallas, Texas: BenBella Books, Inc.
Begeti, Faye. 2024. The Phone Fix. London, UK: Head of Zeus, Ltd.
Murphy, Mark. 2018. “Neuroscience Explains Why You Need To Write Down Your Goals If You Actually Want To Achieve Them.” Article at Forbes.com, April 15, 2018. https://www.forbes.com/sites/markmurphy/2018/04/15/neuroscience-explains-why-you-need-to-write-down-your-goals-if-you-actually-want-to-achieve-them/?sh=57ff32079059.
Image: Tammy Brimner
