The information age is drowning us in a deluge of data, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to separate facts from pseudo-facts, objective from biased sources, and at the same time, we’re all being asked to do more at home and at work. Yet some highly successful people are able to stay highly efficient and productive. I’ll review the cognitive neuroscience of attention and memory, and how recent findings can help all of us to become more productive. This talk will address the myth of multi-tasking, advice for how to better structure our time, and how to better organize decision making using examples from health care contexts. I’ll also share secrets from some of the highly successful people I spoke to in doing research for the book: CEOs of some of the largest corporations in the world, artists, scientists, nobel prize winners, generals, admirals, governors, senators, and U.S. cabinet members.

Daniel J Levitin (@danlevitin) is James McGill Professor of Psychology, Behavioural Neuroscience and Music at McGill University in Montreal. His latest book is The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload.

Jonathan Birch is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

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The 2015 LSE Space for Thought Literary Festival 'Foundations' will take place from Monday 23 - Saturday 28 February. LSE’s 7th Literary Festival will explore the foundations of knowledge, society, identity and literature, as well as those of LSE itself, with speakers including Ahmad Zakii Anwar, Anne Fine, John Gray, Elif Shafak, Raja Shehadeh, Will Self and Ali Smith. View the full programme online.

Podcast

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