Being hyperefficient

There is a curious difference between muscle and mind. Muscles work when they work and rest when they rest. The mind, by contrast, often works while it rests and rests while it works but can it nevertheless be guided to perform better?

In this talk, Dr Mithu Storoni, author of Hyperefficient, examines the science of mental performance and creativity. She argues that assumptions developed for managing physical labour were mistakenly applied to knowledge work, creating a false equivalence between mental and physical productivity. The result is often workplace practices that optimise process rather than outcomes.

Drawing on neuroscience, physiology and psychology, Dr Storoni explores how mental efficiency emerges from the interaction of brain, body and environment. She discusses why effort alone is often a poor guide to performance, how creativity and insight arise, and presents practical techniques for improving productivity and performance in mentally-challenging work.

Event information

The event is on Tuesday 30 June at the London Institute for Mathematical Sciences, which is on the second floor of the Royal Institution. Entry is by invitation only. Arrival is from 5:30pm in the Old Post Room. The talk starts at 6 pm in our Faraday seminar room, and is followed by a Q&A with the audience. Afterwards there are drinks with the speaker into the evening in the Faraday and Old Post rooms.