Right-brainers consume 100 times more energy to plan. What should we do?

A representation of the neurochemical effects brought on by chronic pain, by Australian artist Scott Maxwell.

I have friends who see their future play out like a movie script. It comes so easily and naturally to them, the story plot of their life is clear as day.

I’m not one of those people. I’m able to visualise futures, and play them out in fun and interesting ways. Sensory feelings are often attached to those visions, which can be intriguing (imagine what your future smells like). Then reality kicks in, and half a day has flown by with scribbles to show for it.

To pull visions down into reality, details are needed on how to get you there. It’s something we’re all capable of, yet science suggests that if you’re not back-left brain dominant, you use around 100 times more energy to think in “planning” mode. That’s a ton of surplus effort.

According to research by Dr. Katherine Benziger, a neurofitness expert and author of Thriving In Mind, some people’s brains are naturally wired for maintaining order, while others’ aren’t. If planning details comes to you naturally, you may find that right-brained tasks like visualising and writing burn up a disproportionate amount of your brain fuel.

Neurochemistry research suggests there’s a high chance you’re good at planning or innovating, and not both. “Shapers” are the sparkling unicorns whose brains can handle intense creativity with pointillistic planning abilities.

If you’re right-brain dominant, there are fixes to balance your brain’s finite energy reserves, which are needed for long term planning. The first step, suggested by time coach Elizabeth Grace Saunders, is to “Accept the difficulty” and “Find systems that work.”

Diving into planning while recognising it will be challenging work, is the first step to becoming a long-term thinker and planner. In training habits, I’ve found that lowering expectations are helpful for getting started. It lets you celebrate small wins and put momentum into your habit training.

The next part is to find a system that works for you. Now for the fun part. You’re already good at creativity, so come up with unusual, novel ways to do your planning. Crayons, drawing pads, whiteboards, sticky notes, and a rainbow array of Sharpies are the tools of your trade. Try things out, see what works for you, and translate those plans onto a spreadsheet with a linear timeline. Colourful spreadsheets have a satisfying quality to them.

You’ve crafted your vision, and painted out a linear sequence of steps to be followed. You may jump from A to C, to B, and onwards to D, and that’s fine, if it works for you. You’ve got a plan to return to when you catch yourself wandering. Put it up on a wall in your work space, and play with it every day. Draw on it. Cross things off. Stick things on it. Allow it to evolve organically.

Over time, your left brain will learn to enjoy these neurofitness workouts, and use proportionally less energy over time to flesh out your visionary plans.