ICF NYC Book Club – Your Brain at Work 

October Book Club: Your Brain at Work: Strategies for overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, And Working Smarter All Day Long

Join ICF NYC with Book Club host Rich Heller as we explore Your Brain at Work: Strategies for overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, And Working Smarter All Day Long by David Rock  and engage in a rich learning conversation.  

Come explore the complexities of how the human brain functions in work settings, offering practical strategies to optimize productivity. Drawing from neuroscience, Rock explains why we often struggle with focus, decision-making, and managing our energy in today’s demanding work environments. Through the relatable experiences of two fictional characters, Emily and Paul, Rock illustrates common cognitive challenges and provides actionable solutions.

SOME KEY CONCEPTS

Limited Cognitive Resources: The brain has limited energy and processing power. Rock likens the brain to a stage with actors (our thoughts) competing for attention. The prefrontal cortex, the area responsible for decision-making, problem-solving, and managing complex tasks, gets easily depleted. Rock highlights the importance of recognizing when mental resources are low and structuring the workday to avoid burnout.

Managing Attention: Rock explains that attention is the brain’s most precious resource, and managing it effectively is key to productivity. He identifies the importance of focusing on one task at a time rather than multitasking, which divides attention and reduces the quality of work. The concept of “prioritizing priorities” is essential, as focusing on high-value tasks when mental energy is at its peak can lead to more efficient and successful outcomes.

Building Mental Habits: The book concludes with insights on how to build mental resilience through regular practices like reflection, gratitude, and relaxation techniques. Rock stresses that success in cognitive performance is not just about working harder but working smarter by harnessing how the brain naturally functions.

ICF NYC Book Club is a benefit for chapter members. There is no charge to attend, and participation earns 1 CCEU (type to be confirmed, typically a mix of Core Competency and Resource Development).

About the ICF NYC Book Club:

The ICF NYC Book Club is an opportunity for attendees to delve deeper into their learning from the book and to share highlights from what they read, implications for their coaching practice, and more. Book club meetings are not book previews or presentations and active participation and contribution is expected from all attendees.

Come having read the book – in at least part if not full. Our Book Club meetings are lively, interactive discussions where attendees share highlights and key learnings from the month’s book, raise questions or points of disagreement, and share with each other potential applications for or experiences from their coaching practice. On the occasion when we are lucky enough to have an author join, we gain from their added perspective, but our Book Club meetings are joint learning and not presentations.

ICF NYC Breakfast and a Book Club is a benefit for chapter members. There is no charge to chapter members to attend, and participation earns 1 CCEU (type to be confirmed, typically a mix of Core Competency and Resource Development).

Meeting Guidelines:

The ICF NYC Book Club is an opportunity for attendees to delve deeper into their learning through conversation with their peers. Book club meetings are not book previews or presentations. Active participation and contribution is expected from all attendees.

Out of respect for our facilitator and other attendees, you are expected to have read the book, or at a minimum, significant portions of it, prior to attending so that meaning, intent and application may be discussed with depth. Familiarity with the content enables a much more meaningful exchange and conversation.

As with any virtual call, please be prepared to have your video and audio on, with limited distraction. Turn off all notifications.

In order to receive CCEU credit, you must be present and actively participate.

Come in your pajamas! We don’t care about how you look or if you’re munching, only the intellectual contribution you bring.

Meetings will be held consistently on the second Monday of each month at 8 AM (except where may be otherwise indicated).

ICF NYC Virtual Event Notice on Recording, AI Tools and Other Technology:

ICF NYC meetings are rarely recorded and when they are, they are only recorded with both disclosure by the host and acceptance by participants. All other events, by default, are confidential.

Any form of recording NOT initiated by the host (including but not limited to video, audio, or chat recording, including transcription) is not permissible. The meeting host reserves the right to remove any participant (person or technology) that fails to comply with the policy. Accordingly, it is the responsibility of every participant to know what technologies (including zoom and browser plugins) that they have installed on their device and if they have the potential to violate this policy.

AI transcription requests will be rejected and any user found to be using an AI bot will be removed from the event.

Event Policies:Note that in accordance with our Event Policies and Procedures, event tickets are not refundable. Refer to our Event Policies and Procedures for additional information.