Breaking the Bonds of Mental Fixedness

Episode 40 of the Faithful on the Clock podcast, hosted by Wanda Thibodeaux, titled "Breaking the Bonds of Mental Fixedness" was published on May 2, 2022 and runs 13 minutes.

May 2, 2022 ·13m · Faithful on the Clock

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Episode Description

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In this episode...

Breaking the Bonds of Mental Fixedness

https://faithfulontheclock.com/breaking-the-bonds-of-mental-fixedness

Ever work with someone who refused to consider a new idea? Who insisted on doing work a particular way or who wouldn’t change? They likely suffered mental fixedness. Episode 40 of Faithful on the Clock identifies the three main reasons mental fixedness is harmful, then presents three techniques you and your team can use to expand your thinking.

Timestamps:

[00:05] - Intro

[00:32] - Mental fixedness is a resistance to change the way you think and behave. Neurologically, it happens because, through repeated thoughts and behaviors, you’ve built up strong neurological pathways in the brain that are incredibly easy to fire.

[02:24] - There is a difference between fixedness in terms of integrity/charcter and fixedness in terms of being willing to learn or change. God is constant, which is why we can trust Him.

[03:29] - Abandoning mental fixedness can help you seem like a better team player.

[04:45] - Mental fixedness can hold back entire organizations, not just individuals.

[05:24] - Mental fixedness can stop you from developing into everything God intended you to be and serving Him as He deserves to be served.

[06:58] - Lists and games is the first tool for breaking mental fixedness. They help you break things down into components and see alternative uses.

[07:42] - Spending time with people outside of your department, discipline, or industry can help you learn new rationales and techniques.

[09:33] - New activities and learning can expose you to new concepts and teach you about yourself and the world. You can apply what you learn to your innovation and decision-making.

[10:55] - Prayer

[11:34] - Outro/What’s coming up next

Key takeaways:

Mental fixedness is a cognitive bias we have that develops from repeating the same thoughts and behaviors. This repetition helps build strong neurological pathways in the brain that make continuing the patterns efficient and easy.
There is a difference between fixedness in terms of character/integrity and fixedness of the mind. The former is good; the latter can hold you back.
Mental fixedness is negative in that it can make you seem too egotistical to be a good team player, allow competitors to get out ahead of you, and stunt your innovation. It prevents you from reaching the full potential God had in mind for you because it makes it harder to create and appreciate the world and others.
You can break mental fixedness through lists and games, connecting with others outside your department, discipline, or industry, and committing to learning and doing new activities.

CTAs:

Come up with one list and one game to work on this week to reduce mental fixedness.
Send an email or call someone to ask if you can do some observation in their work or chat about how they do things.
Identify a topic you’d like to learn about or an activity you’d like to do and put it on your calendar.

What’s coming up next:

For sales and marketing professionals, having a customer-centric approach is standard operating procedure. But did you know that this approach can apply to your coworkers or team, too? Episode 41 highlights how to keep employees as your main focus to unify your organization and support great results.

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