Stop Overloading Your Brain: An Essential Brain Hygiene Guide for Professionals

"Feeling exhausted even without heavy work and not wanting to speak" "Getting irritable over trivial things and avoiding complex choices" — this is a daily reality for many professionals, yet few realize these are "overload warnings" from the brain. We always remember to take care of our bodies, but overlook that the brain also needs "hygiene management."

The so-called "brain hygiene" means reducing unnecessary mental exertion in an information-dense and emotion-dense life, keeping the brain in a clear and usable state. The following six hidden brain-draining habits are the key culprits draining your energy. Quitting them in time and making adjustments can "relieve the burden" on your brain.

First, indulging in multitasking. Nowadays, "handling multiple tasks simultaneously" has become the norm in the workplace, but studies show that employees can only focus for an average of 11 minutes before being interrupted, and it takes 25 minutes to refocus on the original task.

Multitasking is not efficient; it merely involves switching repeatedly between tasks, continuously consuming glucose in the brain. This not only leaves people exhausted but also impairs memory and concentration.

It is recommended to use the Pomodoro Technique to divide time blocks and focus on a single task; limit the number of task switches through priority ranking, and turn off irrelevant notifications to create a distraction-free environment.

Second, prolonged and high-intensity information input. Scrolling through phones in the morning and browsing information feeds during commutes may seem like relaxation, but they actually overwhelm the brain. Human information processing capacity is only 120 bits per second, and the daily information we are exposed to far exceeds this limit, easily triggering cognitive fatigue and anxiety.

Excessive use of electronic devices can also bring technical stress, forming a vicious cycle of "frustration, exhaustion, and weakened self-regulation." Try digital detox by designating periods without electronic devices; streamline information channels, switching from "browsing information feeds" to "reading subscriptions"; use tools like notebooks and calendars to share the brain's memory burden.

Third, taking on excessive emotional labor. Repeatedly revising wording when replying to messages, mediating family conflicts, and deliberately smoothing things over to avoid awkwardness — these hidden emotional efforts are the easiest to overlook yet the most mentally draining. Emotional labor refers to the act of deliberately displaying specific emotions to meet others' expectations and make them feel comfortable and happy.

Whether it's navigating the nuances of workplace communication or taking on emotional responsibilities implicitly deemed "taken for granted" in the family, this kind of effort quietly depletes energy. The key to addressing this is to clarify psychological boundaries: understanding others' feelings does not mean having to solve their problems, allowing awkwardness in social interactions, and expressing true thoughts in safe relationships.

Fourth, being on call 24/7 for work. The Internet Age has broken the temporal and spatial boundaries of work; receiving work messages after hours and handling work tasks temporarily while traveling have become common. This unpredictable "on-call state" keeps the brain constantly alert, making it difficult to truly relax, and easily triggers anticipatory anxiety, forming negative neural circuits.

You can set a fixed "log-off" time, muting work apps by then; when anxious, write down your worries: "How much impact will this have? What's the worst-case scenario? How can I cope?"; use ritualistic actions like deep breathing or walking to clarify the switch between "work" and "rest."

Fifth, excessive mental exertion from shopping decisions. Many people see shopping as relaxation, but every comparison and choice is a form of cognitive labor. The "Paradox of Choice" points out that too many options can make the brain hesitate, leading to regret even after making a decision, and also causing decision fatigue—such as decreased self-control and avoidance of choices.

It is advisable to avoid shopping at night, as the prefrontal cortex, which is more alert in the morning, helps control impulses; make a shopping list in advance, adding non-list items to a wishlist; reduce participation in big promotions, and place orders directly as needed to save decision-making energy.

Sixth, obsessing over the "best possible solution." Many people fall into the perfectionist trap of "either the best or nothing." Even with a workable plan, they insist on finding the optimal solution, spending a lot of time and energy deliberating over it, yet easily falling into ruminative thinking and self-doubt. Long-term self-evaluation, comparison, and scrutiny keep the nervous system continuously expending energy, triggering exhaustion and burnout.

You can set a "good enough" deadline, stopping revisions once the time is up; distinguish between "critical tasks" and "tasks that only need completion," allocating energy reasonably; record small things you made progress on before bed, shifting focus from "perfect results" to "process advancement."

The brain's capacity is limited; overtaxing it will only trap you in a cycle of exhaustion. Taking care of the brain is never about "slacking off," but about reducing wasteful mental expenditure through scientific "brain hygiene." Quitting the above six habits and giving the brain enough room to breathe will help you maintain clear thinking and abundant energy to cope with work and life calmly.