When was the last time you paused, and consider what you were doing? What if we do the exercise now? Where are you? What is your current and next task? Why are you doing them? Why is it you who works on them? How important are these tasks for the advancement of your objectives? How does your neighbouring colleague do now? Here is an attempt to harness default setting.
Default setting concerns pre-set courses of action that take effect if nothing is specified by the decision maker. It’s what we do when we don’t think. Our society has trained us, through raising, experiences and education, to respond to stimuli following socially accepted constructed patterns. This permeates in most areas of our lives such as work which, in adulthood, represent most people lives.
Decision Fatigue
The human brain is the original source of such a setting. Indeed, the brain uses more energy than any other human organ, about 20% of the body’s total energy intake. When you focus on a specific task for an extended period or choose to eat a salad instead of a piece of cake, you are flexing your consuming your mental capacity gauge. Both thought processes require conscious effort. You have to resist the temptation to let your mind wander or to indulge in the sweet dessert. However, that use draws upon a single resource of limited capacity in the brain. When this resource is depleted by one activity, our mental capacity may be severely hindered in another, seemingly unrelated activity. Therefore, in order to maximise the use of energy, the brain moves as many elements as possible into automatic circuitry: hence the default setting. (more on Decision fatigue)
There is a side effect though. Default is a base line which doesn’t drive excellence. Over-reliance on default setting leads to strolling through life while justifying the status-quo. We do things, that’s correct. Though we don’t perform. You can observe this on your colleagues, friends, family and yourself.
Harness Default Setting Mode
Default mode is useful and it can be harnessed to ensure we execute what we know without having to overthink it. It is something we can train ourselves in and within our team. Moreover, setting procedures allow us to focus our mental capacity to devise innovative solutions, develop best practices and strengthen key relationships. Leadership in Business World program will address the setting up of your default mode and provide tools to maximise your Decision making. Apply Now!