The Brain’s Space-Time Matrix

The Brain’s Space-Time Matrix.

Are you struggling with your time management? Have you tried a few time techniques and wonder if there is more to it? Your brain has a quirky way of mapping time and distance, and this dynamic influences motivation and planning.

Scientists are constantly looking for new clues about how the brain maps time. There is something fundamental about how we connect memory and space. Have you ever started doing something and forgot what you set out to do, then retraced your steps to recall your thoughts? It works, but why is that? In 2014 three scientists received the Nobel prize for physiology and medicine for their discovery of grid and place cells. These cells anchor our memories according to their occurrence. So, when you visit your mum and sit at the kitchen table, it might trigger a childhood memory of you sitting at that table eating pancakes.

Our Sense Of Space And Time Are Intertwined.

Space is a good way of organizing experiences as space also determines in what sequence something happens. For instance, if you feel like biting into a crisp apple. This can be as simple as reaching for the fruit basket before you, or it can require you first to visit a store and buy one. Buying one means you will have to cover some distance before enjoying that apple, and this will take time. The brain equates distance with time. That is also why we say an event is just around the corner or still far away. Both memories and plans unfold in space and time—a brain quirk that affects us in more ways than we might realize.

The Brain Maps Progress Over Time.

Have you ever noticed that when you have four hours to pack a suitcase for a vacation, you need four hours, and when you have only ten minutes, you can manage the same feat in just ten minutes? The brain maps out expected progress over time. As time moves forward, our brain expects we are making progress on our goals. As we near a goal, our brain assumes time has passed, making for some interesting dynamics.

Progress Over Time Impacts Motivation.

Upon falling behind, we get edgy and speed up our endeavors, whereas being ahead makes us feel relaxed and lets us take it a bit easier. Either way, our brain is geared towards keeping us on track. If you plan to cover 200 miles in 5 days on your next bicycle tour, the brain anticipates 40 miles a day. If you only cover 20 miles on the first day, your brain is freaking out. You better have an ace up your sleeve, like the next day is only downhill, and you will easily manage double mileage. The brain takes distance and spreads it over time.

Life Is Ruled By Variation.

The linear example above is for easy understanding of the principle. We rarely have such linearity in life, and our brain does not spread distance over time evenly. Instead, it includes a variation based on your experience. Let’s explore an example of weight loss. If you have ever tried to shed some weight, you might know that weight loss is not linear. We initially lose faster because we lose fluids, and then the loss slows down. Even if we are aware of this, motivation is initially high because we are ahead of the brain’s expectations, and motivation proceeds to sink once we fall behind.

A Bit Of Tension Is Stimulating.

Now try applying that to a project. How many pages, clients, products, etc., do you need to produce daily for your brain to feel like you are on track? Unless you have an ace up your sleeve that reliably signals to your brain that it is ok to fall behind, your brain is slipping into stress mode. A bit of tension is stimulating and can increase your productivity. Lots of pressure requires extra energy, increased focus to avoid bias, and stronger motivation.

=> The brain favors byte-sized progress spread over time. For stimulation, increase the project size, or shorten the deadline. Don’t fall behind your brain’s expected progress. That kind of stress becomes a health liability over time.

Thinking And Acting Impacts Planning And Execution.

The brain functions differently when reaching for an apple right in front of us than when it must plan first to buy one at the store. No matter how simple the steps are or how lengthy the time frame is, the brain maps expected progress. This map is the brain’s plan of how it thinks that things will work out. Acting, on the other hand, is handicapped by physics. Our body is rooted in the now, and this is where we act and take effect. This is our radius of action, whereas our minds are skipping to points in the future and the past.

The interplay of thinking and acting enables us to devise and execute plans based on our personal experience. We have a radius of action within a world of imagination. In the brain, the difference is so fundamental that separate pathways and neurotransmitters deal with these two dimensions, which are complimentary even though they are separated through space and time. In combination with the earlier mentioned grid cells, these dimensions can even simulate a sense of progress when running on a treadmill.

Devising a plan and acting based on that plan can be a recipe for success. However, often we end up executing based on old habits. The difference is in how these two dimensions are wired to collaborate. We grow the thinking’s understanding of the acting through trial and error.

Experimentation Leads To Better Execution.

Experimentation involves trying out different ways until something succeeds. New ideas and solutions are welcome. Errors or causes for failure are eliminated along the way based on observations. Curiosity is nurtured, and data trumps opinions. Flops are seen as having successfully learned how it doesn’t work. Experimenting delays the brain’s tendency to predict and opens us up to new possibilities. Apart from building an experimentation culture within your organization and creating labs to experiment in, regular improv sessions are also a great way to develop these effects. 

Summary.

• The brain equates distance with time.
• The brain maps expected progress by predicting the future.
• Different regions in the brain handle planning and execution.
• Successful execution depends on how well the regions for thinking and carrying out a movement collaborate.
• This impacts motivation and execution.
• Improve this collaboration by experimenting and improvising.