I’m reading through the comments carefully because this is something I think about literally every day (and I mean literally, not figuratively). For my health and performance, yes, but even more so for the health of people around me (employees, family, friends, etc.).
I remind myself that I have no idea what other people are thinking - only what I think of their actions, the signals from my senses. That may be a weird way to work, but for whatever reason it helps me slow down and reason more carefully about the nature of situations.
As for my own habits, I find concentration and focus addictive. I don’t burn out from thinking deeply and working on intricate solutions. The more I do the better it feels and around the spiral I go. Unfortunately the further I go the less “room” is available for other, often more important, things. So I’m also constantly reminding myself that my brain is a machine that adapts so I need to be careful how I use it. If I train my brain to resist certain tasks by rewarding it for avoiding them, it will become harder over time to perform those tasks. And vice versa.
Are you saying that you don't suffer (or at least consciously feel the effects of) cognitive fatigue? If I am interested in something, I like to focus on it for quite a while, but after enough time passes, I just can't any more. I do think that there are some people who can naturally last much longer doing cognitive work than is the norm, though, much like some athletes are natural ultramarathoners. So perhaps you are one of those people.
I have exactly the same. Unlike some friends, I don't seem to get a negative feedback loop to focusing. When I do it, I want more of it - to the detriment of showering, sleep, food, romance, etc. I really like the modelling of "if I train my brain to resist tasks by rewarding it for avoiding them, it becomes harder to perform them".
I have sometimes found myself into that situation. I have to be careful not to overthink where to put my "brain room" for that day, otherwise I carry this overhead burden that rumbles all day long, questioning if I should be putting that effort elsewhere.
Definitely, brains are fun. They can be your best ally and worst enemy.
I remind myself that I have no idea what other people are thinking - only what I think of their actions, the signals from my senses. That may be a weird way to work, but for whatever reason it helps me slow down and reason more carefully about the nature of situations.
As for my own habits, I find concentration and focus addictive. I don’t burn out from thinking deeply and working on intricate solutions. The more I do the better it feels and around the spiral I go. Unfortunately the further I go the less “room” is available for other, often more important, things. So I’m also constantly reminding myself that my brain is a machine that adapts so I need to be careful how I use it. If I train my brain to resist certain tasks by rewarding it for avoiding them, it will become harder over time to perform those tasks. And vice versa.
Brains are fun. :)