Below is the third of eight new articles by Olivia Mellan and Sherry Christie that continue the discussion on Your Client's Brain that began with Investment Advisor's February 2013 cover story—Double Think: Getting Past the Conflict in Your Clients' Two Brains—and a feature article—Second Thoughts: Making Better Decisions—in the March 2013 issue of IA.
In those articles, Mellan and Sherry shared the latest findings on the brain and suggested how that knowledge can be used by advisors to better understand their clients, and to help their clients make better decisions.
David Rock, co-founder of the NeuroLeadership Institute and author of the marvelous book "Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long," has researched, lectured and taught ways to improve thinking. He and Dr. Daniel Siegel, a psychotherapist, author and pioneer in this field, have created the Healthy Mind Platter, a takeoff on the USDA's recommended food pyramid, which I think every holistic financial planner should display front and center to promote healthy work-life balance.
Copyright 2011 David Rock and Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. (www.neuroleadership.org; www.drdansiegel.com). Used by permission.
Seven a Day: Essential Mental Activities to Optimize Brain Matter and Create Well-being
Activity 1: Focus Time
When we closely focus on tasks in a goal-oriented way, we take on challenges that make deep connections in the brain.
Activity 2: Play Time
When we allow ourselves to be spontaneous or creative, playfully enjoying novel experiences, we help make new connections in the brain.
