Why can’t I think? (ep 11)

Are there times when you just can’t get started on a piece of work? Do you find it difficult to focus sometimes, particularly when there are constant interruptions? Does working with people you don’t know well feel like hard work?

These situations and many more reflect the level of mental workload we experience under different conditions. They are a combination of many factors – some of which have been researched and links have been established, so we know that they definitely have an impact on the load that we experience. Aspects such as the strength of our personal relationships and trust can help reduce the amount of mental workload we experience.

This episode’s guests, both authors of AWA’s recent research, share some examples of how to unlock the reasons why our mental workload is affected, and what we might be able to do to combat the effect. Raising awareness is important, so we can be more self-aware and equipped to help ourselves (and others in our team) by taking positive action.

Featured guests:

• Colombine Gardair, Senior Associate, Cognitive Science, AWA (UK)
• Lara Al Ansari, Associate, Research & Development, AWA (UK)