The "Work Smarter" Myth Cracked (2/18): Reticular Activating System (RAS)
What It Is
Your Reticular Activating System (RAS) is a bundle of neurons at the base of your brainstem that acts as your brain's filter system. Every second, your senses take in approximately 11 million bits of information. Your conscious mind can only process about 40 bits per second. The RAS decides what gets through.
Think of it as a nightclub bouncer for your brain. It lets in what you've told it matters and keeps out the rest. This is why you suddenly notice red cars everywhere after deciding to buy a red car, or why new parents hear every baby cry in a restaurant.
The critical part for PMs: Your RAS is ALWAYS filtering. The question isn't whether it's working—it's whether you've programmed it intentionally or accidentally.
Why PMs Need This
Most overwhelmed PMs have accidentally programmed their RAS to notice:
Every potential problem
Every email notification
Every possible risk
Every demanding stakeholder
Their RAS is on high alert for threats, which means they're exhausted, reactive, and missing strategic opportunities that are right in front of them.
Empowered PMs deliberately programme their RAS to notice:
Early warning signals (the subtle ones that prevent crises)
Strategic partnership opportunities
What Sponsors actually care about (not what PMs assume they care about)
Patterns that indicate success, not just failure
This is the neuroscience foundation of "removing the veil" between CRO PMs and Sponsors. Once you understand what Sponsors are truly worried about, your RAS starts spotting the signals that matter to them.
The Protocol
Step 1: Audit Your Current RAS Programming
Time required: 20 minutes
Ask yourself:
What do I notice first when opening my inbox?
What keeps me awake at night?
What do I talk about most in team meetings?
What patterns do I spot immediately in project updates?
Write these down. This reveals your current RAS programming—likely threat-focused if you're overwhelmed.
Step 2: Define Your Strategic Filters
Time required: 30 minutes
Based on your project phase and role, identify 3-5 things your RAS should prioritise. Examples:
During RFP Response:
Sponsor pain points mentioned in background materials
Budget constraints or flexibility signals
Decision-maker names and roles
Timeline pressure indicators
Competitor weaknesses
During Study Start-Up:
Site engagement quality (not just speed)
Sponsor communication patterns (responsive? detail-oriented? big picture?)
Early protocol compliance challenges
Investigator concerns about feasibility
During Study Execution:
Patient recruitment velocity trends (not just numbers)
Site morale and motivation signals
Sponsor satisfaction indicators in routine communications
Early efficacy or safety signals that might trigger protocol amendments
Step 3: Programme Your RAS Intentionally
Time required: 5 minutes daily for 21 days
Each morning, spend 5 minutes reviewing your strategic filters. Ask:
"Today, what do I need to notice?"
"What patterns matter for this project phase?"
"What would my Sponsor want me to spot early?"
Write 2-3 specific things to watch for. Your RAS will start filtering for these automatically within days.
Step 4: Create Environmental Triggers
Time required: 30 minutes setup
Place visual reminders where you'll see them:
Sticky note on your monitor: "What does the Sponsor actually need?"
Calendar reminder before Sponsor calls: "Listen for what they're NOT saying"
Email signature to yourself: "Strategic opportunities > firefighting"
Wallpaper on your phone: Your top 3 strategic priorities this month
These prime your RAS before key interactions.
Step 5: Weekly RAS Review
Time required: 15 minutes weekly
Every Friday:
What patterns did you notice this week that you would have missed before?
What strategic opportunities appeared?
What early warning signals did you catch?
What's one thing to add to next week's RAS programming?
Document these. Over time, you'll see your pattern recognition accelerate dramatically.
AI Applications
Copilot-Compliant Approach (Corporate Environment)
Morning RAS Programming Prompt (use in Word/Outlook):
I'm a Clinical Research Project Manager working on [project description]. My project phase is [RFP/Start-up/Execution]. My key deliverables this week are [list]. My Sponsor's main concerns based on recent communications are [list]. Help me identify 3-5 specific things I should watch for today that would: 1. Prevent problems before they escalate 2. Create strategic partnership opportunities 3. Demonstrate value beyond standard PM deliverables Format as a simple daily checklist I can review in 2 minutes.
Post-Meeting RAS Debrief (use in Word):
I just finished a [Sponsor call/team meeting/site call]. Here are my notes: [paste notes] Analyse these notes and tell me: 1. What patterns should my RAS be watching for? 2. What signals did I miss that could be important? 3. What strategic opportunities are emerging? 4. What early warning signals appeared? Focus on what I should notice in future interactions, not what I should do right now.
Weekly Pattern Recognition (use in Excel with Copilot):
Here's my project log from this week: [paste data] Help me identify: 1. Recurring patterns I should programme my RAS to notice 2. Early warning signals that appeared more than once 3. Sponsor communication patterns (response times, detail level, concerns) 4. What successful PMs would be noticing that I might be missing Present as a learning summary, not a task list.
Unrestricted Environment (Personal Devices)
Use Claude, ChatGPT, or Perplexity for deeper analysis:
RAS Training Simulator:
You're training me to improve my pattern recognition as a Clinical Research PM. Project context: [describe your project] Current challenge: [describe situation] Create 5 realistic scenarios I might encounter this week. For each scenario: 1. Provide the surface details (what most PMs notice) 2. Ask me what deeper patterns I should watch for 3. Reveal what an expert PM's RAS would catch 4. Explain why this pattern matters strategically This is training my brain's filter system, not asking for solutions.
Sponsor Intelligence RAS Primer:
I'm preparing for a call with [Sponsor name/type]. Based on publicly available information: - What are this Sponsor's likely strategic priorities? - What pressures are they under (financial, timeline, competitive)? - What would keep their leadership awake at night? - What patterns should my RAS watch for in our conversation? I want to programme my attention filter before the call, not script responses.
Real PM Scenario
Sarah's Transformation:
Sarah, a Senior PM at a mid-sized CRO, was drowning. She worked 60-hour weeks, jumped on every email within 10 minutes, and still felt behind. Her RAS was programmed for threat detection—she noticed every potential problem instantly but missed strategic opportunities completely.
Week 1: Sarah audited her RAS programming. She realised she noticed "urgent" emails first, problems in status reports, and any hint of Sponsor dissatisfaction. She never noticed early wins, site enthusiasm, or opportunities to add value.
Week 2-3: She reprogrammed her RAS with three morning questions:
"Where can I make my Sponsor's life easier today?"
"What early success signals should I amplify?"
"What pattern, if I caught it early, would save us weeks of work?"
Week 4: In a routine Sponsor email about a site delay, Sarah's newly programmed RAS caught something she would have missed before: the Sponsor mentioned "pressure from our CMO about timeline."
Old Sarah would have focused solely on resolving the delay. New Sarah's RAS flagged this as a strategic intelligence signal. She probed gently in their next call and discovered the Sponsor was under Board pressure to show progress by quarter-end—three weeks away. Sarah proposed an interim progress report highlighting patient screening momentum at successful sites, patient retention rates, and data quality metrics. The Sponsor could show their CMO tangible progress even with one site delayed. The Sponsor was thrilled. Sarah went from vendor to strategic partner in one conversation.
The shift: Sarah didn't work more hours. Her brain just started filtering for different patterns. Six months later, she was working 45-hour weeks, had become the Sponsor's preferred PM for new projects, and was promoted to Project Director.
Quick Wins
Today (5 minutes):
Write down 3 specific things you need to notice this week
Put a sticky note on your monitor: "What does my Sponsor actually need?"
This Week (30 minutes total):
Before each Sponsor interaction, spend 2 minutes asking: "What should my RAS watch for?"
After each interaction, spend 3 minutes noting: "What pattern did I just see?"
This Month (2 hours total):
Create your RAS programming template in Copilot (save the prompt)
Set up Friday 15-minute pattern review in your calendar
Document one "I would have missed this before" insight each week
Long-term Integration: Your RAS reprogrammes automatically with consistent input. After 21 days of intentional morning programming (5 minutes daily), you'll start noticing strategic patterns automatically. After 90 days, it becomes your default operating system.
This is working smarter, not harder. Your brain is filtering millions of inputs regardless—you're just choosing what gets through.
