Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long

by David Rock

In comparison, a truck driver can drive all day and night, his ability to keep going limited only by his need for sleep. Driving a truck doesn’t require much use of the prefrontal cortex (unless you are a new driver, in a new truck, or on a new route). It involves another part of the brain called the basal ganglia. The basal ganglia are four masses in the brain region driving routine activities that don’t require a lot of active mental attention.