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Cognitive Flexibility: How to Swerve When Plans Break · PTT Music Podcast

• 0:21
  I was looking at this old journal from a few years ago, and,
• 0:25
  um, I had this absolute monster of a daily schedule written out.
• 0:31
  It was, like, timed down to the exact minute.
• 0:35
  Wake up at five forty five, write lyrics at six fifteen, exercise at seven thirty.
• 0:41
  Then on the very first day, the water heater leaked, the whole kitchen flooded,
• 0:46
  and it looked like the entire day might completely fall apart.
• 0:51
  I remember having feelings of failure, like, maybe I just didn't have enough self
• 0:56
  discipline to stick to the plan.
• 0:59
  Yeah, the, the classic brute force grind mindset.
• 1:04
  Many, many do this to themselves all the time, right?
• 1:07
  They build these incredibly rigid structures, and then, the second life throws a
• 1:12
  curveball, the whole thing shatters.
• 1:15
  But, see, what's fascinating is that cognitive science says that sticking to a plan
• 1:20
  when the environment has completely changed isn't actually discipline.
• 1:24
  It is just rigidity.
• 1:27
  They call the real superpower cognitive flexibility.
• 1:31
  Cognitive flexibility.
• 1:34
  So, um, it is, like, the actual biological ability to, to pivot instead of just
• 1:40
  freeze?
• 1:41
  Exactly.
• 1:42
  It is how your brain adapts its thinking to unexpected obstacles.
• 1:47
  There was this really landmark study published in twenty twenty six in the journal
• 1:51
  Communications Psychology.
• 1:54
  And they looked at how the brain actually handles these shifts.
• 1:57
  They found that our brains have two distinct systems for adaptation.
• 2:02
  There is a fast system and a slow system.
• 2:04
  Oh, like, a quick reaction versus a slow burn?
• 2:09
  How does that actually show up in the brain?
• 2:11
  So, the fast system is what they call activation based control adjustments.
• 2:16
  This is your prefrontal cortex rapidly shifting its activity patterns in real time
• 2:21
  to respond to an immediate, unexpected change.
• 2:25
  Like, uh, when you are driving and a dog runs into the street,
• 2:28
  your brain instantly shifts gears.
• 2:30
  It is fast, temporary, and uses a lot of energy.
• 2:34
  Activation based.
• 2:36
  That makes sense.
• 2:38
  It is, like, a sudden burst of mental energy to swerve out of the way.
• 2:43
  But what about the slow system?
• 2:45
  Right, the slow system is weight based adaptation.
• 2:49
  That is where your brain gradually rewires its actual neural connections over a long
• 2:55
  period of time to build lasting habits.
• 2:58
  The problem is, when we face a sudden setback, we try to rely on those slow,
• 3:03
  weight based habits, or we just try to force our way through with sheer willpower.
• 3:08
  But what we actually need in that exact moment is that fast activation based control
• 3:14
  to, well, to swerve.
• 3:16
  Oh, I, I love that word.
• 3:19
  Swerve.
• 3:21
  It is, it is literally the title of that PTT Music track, "Swerve."
• 3:26
  And when you listen to it, the rhythm is so upbeat and energetic.
• 3:30
  It, it almost physically nudges you out of that frozen state.
• 3:34
  When we get stressed because our rigid plans break, we go into a freeze response.
• 3:40
  But the upbeat tempo of a song like "Swerve," it, it feels like a sonic metaphor for
• 3:45
  those fast activation based adjustments.
• 3:48
  It gets your brain moving again.
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  It really does.
• 3:52
  It breaks that analysis paralysis.
• 3:55
  Music with that kind of driving energy can actually stimulate the release of
• 3:59
  dopamine, which helps open up your cognitive flexibility.
• 4:03
  It tells your brain, okay, the original plan is dead, but we are still moving.
• 4:08
  We are just going in a new direction now.
• 4:11
  Yes!
• 4:12
  It makes you feel like the pivot is an adventure rather than a defeat.
• 4:17
  So, how do we take this science and actually use it?
• 4:21
  How do we build this cognitive flexibility in our everyday lives?
• 4:25
  Well, let's look at some practical action steps we can start using today.
• 4:30
  First, we need to design elastic plans instead of rigid ones.
• 4:35
  Instead of saying I must do this exact task at this exact hour,
• 4:40
  build in buffer zones and alternative options.
• 4:44
  Give yourself permission to adapt.
• 4:46
  I love that.
• 4:47
  Elastic plans.
• 4:50
  And, um, the second step would be to practice conscious pivoting.
• 4:55
  When a plan breaks, instead of beating yourself up, take a ten second pause and ask
• 5:00
  yourself, what is the next best move right now, with the resources I currently have?
• 5:08
  That forces your prefrontal cortex to activate that fast, activation based control.
• 5:14
  Absolutely.
• 5:15
  And third, use music as a transition trigger.
• 5:19
  When you feel yourself getting rigid, or stressed, or stuck in a freeze response
• 5:24
  because things are not going your way, put on an upbeat, high energy track like
• 5:29
  "Swerve."
• 5:30
  Let the tempo break your mental freeze and physicalize the shift to a flexible,
• 5:36
  problem solving mindset.
• 5:38
  Those are such powerful, practical ways to build real mental resilience.
• 5:43
  It is all about giving ourselves the grace to bend so we do not break.
• 5:49
  Again, thanks for spending this time with us on the PTT Music Podcast.
• 5:54
  We hope today's conversation left you inspired, encouraged,
• 5:58
  and ready to carry that energy with you wherever life takes you.
• 6:03
  I'm Jordan Sterling...
• 6:04
  And I'm Ava Brooks.
• 6:05
  We'll see you next time for another conversation that celebrates creativity,
• 6:09
  purpose, and the power of music.
• 6:12
  If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love for you to continue the journey with us.
• 6:17
  Visit PTTMusic.com to explore our latest music, official videos,
• 6:22
  exclusive merchandise, artist updates, and much more.
• 6:26
  You can also stream PTT Music on your favorite music platforms.
• 6:30
  And be sure to subscribe to our podcast, leave a review, and share this episode with
• 6:35
  someone who could use a little inspiration today...
• 6:37
  Until next time, keep moving forward.
• 6:40
  And let the PTT Music continue to move you closer to who you truly are.