The power of cognitive and emotional capacity
We often find ourselves feeling we don’t have enough time, despite the countless books and advice on time management. While our lives have undoubtedly become busier, it's not just a lack of time causing us to feel overstretched. We may need to focus on managing our cognitive and emotional capacity too.
Understanding Cognitive and Emotional Capacity
Cognitive capacity is our ability to pay attention, remember, reason, solve problems, make decisions, and comprehend language. In simpler terms, it's our mental "headspace." As we go about our daily tasks, both our goals and the demands of others can consume our cognitive resources.
Emotional capacity means recognising, understanding, and labelling our emotions and those of others. It also encompasses regulating our emotions, responding appropriately, and being able to tolerate emotional discomfort.
How to Spot When You Are Running Low
A clear sign of low cognitive capacity is decision fatigue – when even simple decisions feel overwhelming. This could manifest as difficulty focusing, remembering recent events or conversations, struggling to plan, or grasping concepts more slowly than usual. If you’ve ever had a grumpy exchange with your partner because neither of you want to decide what to have for dinner in the evening, it’s likely that you both were experiencing decision fatigue.
Low emotional capacity can be observed in others as irritability, seeming unempathetic, or difficulty communicating feelings constructively. Aggressive or passive-aggressive behaviour might also be present. It is easy to feel ourselves snapping at small irritations when we are low on emotional capacity.
Have you notices that when you are low on cognitive capacity you also seem low on emotional capacity?
The Connection: Prefrontal Cortex
It is no coincidence that both cognitive and emotional capacities are linked to the prefrontal cortex, the area just behind your forehead. This part of the brain is responsible for rational thinking, regulating emotions, planning, decision-making, attention, working memory, and problem-solving. Factors such as poor sleep, stress, substance abuse, and inadequate nutrition can negatively impact the prefrontal cortex's function.
Low emotional capacity can be observed in others as irritability, seeming unempathetic, or difficulty communicating feelings constructively.
Protecting and Replenishing Your Capacities
Improving sleep hygiene, managing stress, and maintaining a balanced diet can help enhance cognitive and emotional functioning. Additionally, there are more targeted approaches:
- Engage in "flow" activities: Flow, a term coined by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, is a mental state characterised by deep focus, full immersion, and enjoyment in an activity. When we are in a flow state, we feel completely absorbed in the task at hand, losing track of time and our surroundings. During flow, our brains experience transient hyperfrontality, which means the prefrontal cortex becomes temporarily less active. As a result, the brain releases neurochemicals such as dopamine, norepinephrine, endorphins, anandamide, and serotonin, which are associated with pleasure, motivation, focus, and stress reduction. Engaging in activities that induce flow can lead to increased creativity and improved cognitive function, allowing us to perform at our best and tackle challenges more effectively.
- Flow based activities will differ for each of us but it may be something like yoga, painting toy soldiers, computer games or knitting. The key is to find something that you enjoy and that you can lose yourself in.
- Avoid unnecessary decision-making: As a founder or leader in an organisation, it's common for people to seek your input and guidance on various issues. However, constantly making decisions for others can deplete your cognitive and emotional capacity, leaving you feeling drained and overwhelmed. To preserve the mental resources, it's essential to learn which decisions truly fall within your purview and which can be delegated to others. By empowering your team members to take ownership of their tasks and make decisions on their own, you not only conserve your cognitive and emotional resources but also foster an environment where individuals can grow, develop their skills, and become more capable leaders themselves. In turn, this can lead to a more efficient and productive organisation.
There are many more ways to protect and replenish your cognitive and emotional capacity. We have only discussed two here.
The benefit of being able to protect and replenish your cognitive and emotional capacity is that you begin to perceive that you have more time. Therefore, if you want more time to focus on what is important to you, it may not be time that you need to manage.
If you're curious about learning more or interested in working with a coach, get in touch.
