Chapter 1. Why Bandwidth? Why Now?Curiosity CreatorWhich of these are your biggest wishes? I wish I had more time to just be! I wish no one but my closest friends had my mobile phone number! I wish someone else would decide what we're having for dinner! I wish my children/students had no interest in screen time! I wish I could sit back with a good book (or a guitar or an art project or simply to think) and not get distracted! I wish I wasn't so busy all the time!
All of these are connected with your supply of brain energy and bandwidth, which we'll explain in a moment, and whether they are sufficient. When you think of brain energy and bandwidth, what comes to mind? What factors indicate your mind is overtaxed and under-fueled? At first glance, what needs to change to restore your sense of optimal functioning? Why Bandwidth?Did you ever have one of those groups of students? You know, you're using the same surefire lessons and materials, and it isn't working with this particular group? You start wondering, "It has to be them. This never fails. What is it with these kids?" Ann and I experienced this big-time with an education organization we'd worked with for years. Serving as external coaches for their intensive and lengthy aspiring leadership program, we'd successfully guided three cohorts through self-discovery assessments, 360 feedback, and goal setting. But what about this fourth group? Unlike the previous cohorts, these leaders were struggling to keep their coaching appointments and complete assessments. Further, collecting 360 feedback from their supervisors, sponsors, and peers was positively torturous. "We need more time!" they pleaded. Jane, preparing to keynote at a banquet for the participants, their sponsors, and other leaders in the organization, asked Ann, "What if I give a quiz to jump-start their awareness of the busy-ness trap they've fallen into?" We drafted 15 questions, a first run at what became our Brain Energy and Bandwidth Survey, using the latest neuroscience research on habits that enhance and derail executive function. At the banquet, Jane read the questions aloud, asking participants to give themselves a 0, 2, or 4 on each item. Groans, chuckles, and comments such as "In what universe could that happen?" echoed around the room. Out of a possible 60 points (we assumed that anyone below 30 was probably experiencing stress from various competing priorities), many participants scored as low as 10. More significant is what happened next during their two-day seminar. Bandwidth was almost the only topic, no matter what subject the facilitators introduced. We received text and email pleas for help from the people we coached. "I've got to change my habits and increase my score." "No wonder I'm exhausted." "I wasn't even noticing how crazy my calendar was until I answered those questions." "Help! You're right! How I'm working isn't working!" We helped them—and then other clients and colleagues around the world—pinpoint which practices were draining their energy and how to become more effective, efficient, and engaged—and more contented—with the priorities they set. We welcomed help from colleague Dr. Greg Huszczo to validate results, identify predictive items, and use factor analysis to revise and group the items into the survey you can take as a reader of this book. Our hope is that these pages will help educators Identify their top priorities in life. Define for themselves what it means to honor those priorities. Make the most of what neuroscience has revealed about the keys to your energy, passion, and time. Influence organizations to develop norms, policies, and leadership modeling of the practices and habits that allow each individual to maximize their bandwidth.
We're going to ask you to stop thinking about finding more time and instead start working toward contentment with how you spend your time. Think about it. We've all had 24 hours in a day since the geniuses of ancient civilizations figured out how long it took for the Earth to complete a rotation. No one has more than 24 hours in a day. No one has less. The truth is no one has more time. This book isn't about trying to cram more things into an already crazy schedule, but rather it's about aligning how you use your time with what is important to you and for your brain. You can't do it all, at least not all at the same time. One of the key research-based points we'll be making is that understanding what your brain truly needs allows you to follow through on the priorities you set so that you are truly contented. We call this having enough bandwidth. What Is Bandwidth?So, what is bandwidth? Think of it as the energy that powers the brain's prefrontal cortex—the center of executive function. This small area of the brain uses a tremendous amount of energy as we work to make good decisions, focus on cognitively demanding tasks, be patient and empathetic, and engage in necessary self-care such as eating well. While these seem like completely separate activities, they all draw on the same limited pool of brain energy. In some way, they also all draw on willpower. Baumeister and Tierney (2011) cite numerous experiments illustrating how using energy for any of these activities leaves us vulnerable to lapses in willpower, and one studied how concentrating on solving complex problems affected snacking. Participants assigned to difficult cognitive tasks consumed more sweets than those who spent the same amount of time reading for pleasure. This second group contentedly munched on salad fixings such as radishes even though they were also offered sweets. The researchers summarize as follows. 1. You have a finite amount of willpower that becomes depleted as you use it. 2. You use the same stock of willpower for all manner of tasks. You might think you have one reservoir of self-control for work, another for dieting, another for exercise, and another for being nice to your family. But the radish experiment showed that two completely unrelated activities—resisting chocolate and working on geometry puzzles—drew on the same source of energy, and this phenomenon has been demonstrated over and over …. There are hidden connections among the wildly different things you do all day. You use the same supply of willpower to deal with frustrating traffic, tempting food, annoying colleagues, demanding bosses, pouting children. Resisting dessert at lunch leaves you with less willpower to praise your boss' awful haircut. (p. 35)
You can increase the amount of bandwidth you have using specific behaviors, similar to how you can increase your car's fuel capacity by installing a bigger fuel tank. However, use up bandwidth for one of the above functions and you'll be running on empty for the others. Long before you feel the kind of fatigue associated with burnout, you're depleting the energy you need to be effective, efficient, emotionally intelligent, and engaged in your work (McGonigal, 2011). Chapter by chapter, we'll guide you through the steps to identify how well you're handling the factors that increase your bandwidth and how to choose actions that will help you find a balance between work life and personal life that brings contentment. In 2018, we began customizing the content for K–12 educators. And then? The COVID-19 pandemic hit. Why Work on Bandwidth Now?Even before the pandemic, teaching consistently ranked as one of the most stressful professions in the world (Busby, 2019). Since March 2020, teacher stress has only increased (Cipriano & Brackett, 2020). We'll cover how stress interferes with brain energy and bandwidth, but we know from our research that the number one predictor that an individual's score will fall into the healthy range on our survey is whether that person feels their workplace culture and policies support good bandwidth. This means that schools need to very seriously address the factors that lead to good bandwidth. When leaders say, "But we have so many other priorities," we point out that low bandwidth scores mean people are losing their ability to be energized, effective, efficient, engaged, and emotionally intelligent. Low educator bandwidth interferes with the immensely difficult mission to help every student reach full potential. Here are four other core reasons to dig into improving bandwidth now. First, we only tend to pay attention to what we measure—and measuring bandwidth can be key to understanding how effective each of us can be. Margaret Wheatley and Myron Kellner-Rogers (1999) suggest we develop measures that let us know whether we are increasing capacities critical to carrying out the organizational mission. Bandwidth falls into this category. Second, adults can't guide students in social and emotional learning if the adults are burned out, disengaged, and ineffective! Research supports this, but instead of reading about it, try engaging in a gedanken (thought) experiment. Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and imagine yourself arriving at your classroom after a restless night's sleep, worried about an argument with your child over homework or with a friend over a hot issue, hungry because you forgot to grab that protein bar after that argument. Where is your energy level as students enter the room? Now imagine yourself after a good night's sleep. You munch that bar, placed in your bag the night before, as you open the folder with the day's work all set to go. There weren't any arguments last night about homework because your teen knows that you'll schedule their studying every evening if you get a notice from the school portal that grades are slipping. Where is your energy level now?
Einstein is credited with formalizing the use of these conceptual rather than physical experiments—and they are underused in education. For example, do we need research to confirm that 6-year-olds whose school days include breaks for physical activity and socialization can concentrate more fully on learning as required? Or, through a gedanken experiment, can you envision yourself as a 6-year-old, asked to sit still for an hour (or an adult asked to sit still for a full 60 minutes of professional development)? How long would it be before you started fidgeting? Einstein couldn't physically experiment with traveling at the speed of light, yet he developed the theory of relativity. Similarly, we can used informed gedanken experiments to draw sound conclusions in commonsense areas to improve outcomes for students. This is a simple example. Remember, if you use up your bandwidth for one area, such as worry, or if you don't fuel up in the first place, you have less bandwidth available to model the patience and kindness and resilience we are trying to foster in students. Third, because the digital age has hijacked the brains of billions of people without their conscious awareness, few individuals, and even fewer organizations, have adjusted to dampen the impact and implications. Not long ago, sending a message took time. You had to find a pen and paper, or secure a typewriter, and with luck, didn't have to revise your message. You were also reasonably assured that your message would reach only its intended recipient and wouldn't be widely shared. The idea that a message could be sent around the world in milliseconds and that it could "go viral" was the stuff of science fiction books. Then the digital age seemingly exploded out of nowhere with the introduction of smartphones in 2007. This new era arrived absent any guidelines, strategies, or manuals. Suddenly we were immersed in it, and the rules evolved organically, largely driven by newly formed habits that were not deliberate but reactive. More on that later. Our corporate and executive clients began to report stories like these: "We had hoped that decreasing the need to travel by going virtual would save everyone time. Instead we ended up having to attend more meetings." "Whatever happened to lunch? That time is now spent returning emails while we mindlessly eat whatever is available." "Even simple, low-risk decisions are researched endlessly on the internet. What should take moments to decide is drawn out well beyond what makes sense." "I am working until midnight. What happened to the promise of the 30-hour work week technology would bring us?"
No, this wasn't the intended outcome of the digital age. While the 2020 pandemic may have provided a few unexpected perks as we worked remotely, such as more time to manage meals and less time commuting, think of the original promises of computers and the internet. Everything was supposed to get easier, and we were going to get more done in less time with fewer resources. Computers would take over the boring, repetitive tasks. Instead, the digital age has stretched us to the point where we can't seem to keep up—we get more emails, more data, more information, more meetings scheduled on those virtual calendars, with no more time to do it all. Humans aren't machines; the relationship between productivity and time on task isn't linear. Fourth, compounding the effects of digital data and connectivity in education are deep-seated norms. For example, research shows that teachers do not feel empowered to engage in self-care practices, a crucial part of bandwidth, unless leaders model it (Skakon et al., 2010). Further, we can't keep saying, "That's just the way it is," or, "We simply have to do more with less," or, "Professionals put their students first." There is individual and organization responsibility to make the changes that improve bandwidth. If we're going to change the way we're working to once again honor the way our brains have evolved over millennia, organizational attention to bandwidth is essential. How to Use This BookHopefully, this chapter has demonstrated the importance of ensuring you have enough brain energy and bandwidth to reclaim your energy, passion, and time. Your next step is to take the Brain Energy and Bandwidth Survey. Chapter 2 will guide you through interpreting your results and choosing the one or two areas for focus that are most important in your current circumstances. Chapter 3 describes how habits form and the most effective strategies for changing unhelpful habits. For example, committing to something (e.g., "I will read those books I've been dying to get to") rather than quitting something (e.g., "I won't watch television") produces far more success. Reaching rather than resisting uses far less willpower, freeing up that limited willpower for other things! Chapter 4 lets you think about the policies, cultural norms, and espoused beliefs in your learning community that affect individual bandwidth. We often hear from teachers and other employees "But I can't change policies over what meetings I have to be at or when I start my day." And, leaders tell us, "But I can't change people's sleep and diet habits." That chapter will name and explore this tension, mapping out how to stop focusing on what you can't control to gain clarity around what action steps are in your sphere of influence. Chapters 5–10 expand the information on the six areas covered by the Brain Energy and Bandwidth survey. You'll find information on the neuroscience behind the survey items, examples of individuals and organizations that have improved how they handle each area, and solid suggestions for forming habits that will increase your bandwidth. Finally, Chapter 11 tackles organizational support of bandwidth. Through a case study and suggested planning process, we will illustrate the power of using data to change the conversation from "this is the way things have to be" to "we have to change things; let's figure it out!" Forming a Bandwidth BandEach chapter ends with questions that guide you through how to set an action plan to improve your bandwidth and some group discussion questions. We highly encourage forming a "Bandwidth Band" and tackling the chapters together week by week, not all at once. Consider joining with at least three other educators to discuss the book, commit to action steps, and support each other in improving your bandwidth. Why? Researchers have demonstrated that each of us constructs knowledge as we learn, and deeper, broader learning happens while engaged with a diverse group of other learners (Black & Allen, 2018). While some people are more attracted to accountability groups and some to support groups, the truth is, with the kind of guidance this book provides, your group can function in both of these ways, helping you set reasonable goals, reminding you to celebrate small wins, and supplying encouragement to fuel your motivation. We learn not from experience but from reflecting on experience. Group time builds that reflective time into your schedule—see Chapter 5 on the power of one-off choices that automate activities you know you need but often fall by the wayside in day-to-day busy-ness. A group will help you go slow to go fast. We hope this book is engaging enough to keep you reading, but we also hope you won't speed-read and say, "That was fascinating. I really should improve my bandwidth. Now, what's next on my reading list?" (Note: If you've been struggling to focus on texts that require concentration, you might take a peek at Chapter 7, Focus Through Mental Habits.)
Blameless Discernment MomentOne of the core tools in these pages is blameless discernment. We don't want our readers feeling shame, guilt, or helplessness—or self-righteousness—about their current level of bandwidth. Shirzad Chamine (2012) provides a handy framework for recognizing when you are blaming or judging instead of discerning how to move forward. While we all occasionally fall into the three traps below, explore the related reflection exercises to discern which might trip you up the most: blaming yourself, blaming others, or blaming circumstances. Some people tend to over-assign blame to their own actions with thoughts such as "I've tried. I just don't have willpower." The key to lessening these judgments is focusing your ability to empathize on yourself. Try this reflection: Bring to mind a picture of yourself as a small child under the age of 10. Find a real picture if it helps. Now, think of the empathy and grace you deserved at this tender age. You deserved love, understanding, and second chances. Turn that same empathy toward your adult self. You deserve more bandwidth as you strive to become your most authentic self. Imagine giving yourself grace and compassion as you identify what you are doing well. Picture supporting yourself much like a caring adult guides the back of a bicycle while a new rider learns to pedal—watchful, encouraging, supportive.
Some people tend to over-assign blame to others with thoughts such as "How can I possibly increase bandwidth with all the demands our leaders make of us?" The key to blameless discernment is directing empathy toward those who seem to swallow up your bandwidth. Try this reflection: Imagine yourself in the shoes of this leader, colleague, or family member. What might be driving them to create such an atmosphere or make such demands? Try speaking in the first person. For example, you might imagine yourself as the superintendent who just imposed yet another reporting requirement. If asked, that person might say something like "The buck stops on my desk, along with a thousand other expectations from the school board. I need proof of all we're doing."
Some people tend to over-assign blame to circumstances with thoughts such as "As long as I'm a teacher/parent/caregiver/team leader/stuck in this building, I can't improve my bandwidth." Try the opposite of empathy: objectivity. Imagine yourself as an objective observer of your circumstances. What might you notice, without judgment, about the facts and assumptions you use to judge circumstances? What truly can and can't be changed? What is and isn't under your control?
The trick isn't to stop judging but to blamelessly discern the role you are playing, how others affect what happened, and other factors and circumstances a curious, objective observer might note. Only then can we pinpoint next steps that will truly improve our brain energy and bandwidth. Again and again in these pages, we'll be asking you to consider your brain energy and bandwidth through this lens of blameless discernment so that you can set aside any guilt, frustration, feelings of entrapment, or concerns that nothing can really change. Instead, with blameless discernment, join us on this journey to explore how you can use research on the brain, on habit formation, on learning, on social constructs, and more to maximize your brain energy and bandwidth for the things that matter most to you at home and at school. My initial reaction to my score was "This bandwidth stuff is just another thing to induce guilt on working moms—especially after a pandemic when we had to do it all or risk losing it all." Then upon further reflection, I realized that the pandemic caused me to get really out of balance. In order to survive I did have to do it all, but should it have to be that way forever? I think working parents can benefit from periodically reevaluating how their bandwidth is out of balance and then make changes without feeling guilty. This bandwidth tool is a good way to bring things back in balance: good for spouse, children, and families! —Early childhood special education teacher, mother of four
Bandwidth Band Discussion GuideBefore you begin, agree to your band's logistics. Establish confidentiality. How often will you meet? Ideally, groups meet nine times, discussing the first 10 chapters in the book (combine the discussion of Chapters 1 and 2). Will the same person act as leader for each meeting, or will you rotate this role? The leader guides the group through the suggested discussion questions, works to include everyone in the discussion, and ensures the meeting ends at the agreed-upon time. What expectations does everyone have? Does everyone anticipate being able to read a chapter and complete at least one of the self-reflection exercises? What else?
Start your first discussion by sharing what you hope to gain from the bandwidth journey. How will you know you have gotten the outcome you desire? Consider your current ability to engage in blameless discernment. How will blameless discernment affect your outcomes? What type of shift will be necessary to optimize your brain and bandwidth? Reflect together on the "Blameless Discernment Moment" for this chapter. Share examples of how you misattributed blame and how changing that perspective changed your approach to a dilemma. For example, Jane used to blame the circumstance of traffic delays while commuting back and forth to visit her elderly mother for lack of reading time. Then she realized she could recapture that time with audiobooks as she drove. Yes, she was stuck in the car, but she had choices about how to use that time.
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