The great trash can move: How our brains grind with change

Change. Just the word can wreak havoc on your brain. Take for example something as simple as moving your trash can. For years it stood to the left of your desk, your faithful waste partner. But then, in a moment of cleaning frenzy, you decide to move it to the right. What could possibly go wrong there?

Well, apparently a lot. You see, your brain has absolutely no appetite for this sudden move. Every time you want to throw something away, your hand automatically grabs to the left, as if that thing never changed its place. Your brain first icily denies that the trash has moved. They even ignore it. And when the penny finally drops, frustration follows. "Why did that thing have to be moved, too? Left was fine!"

After a few days, your brain starts negotiating: maybe just put the trash can back? Or at least a little closer? But no, you persevere. Still, every time you misplace, your courage sinks in. You wonder if you'll ever get used to that new place.

But then, after what seems like an eternity of failed attempts, something magical happens. Your hand, almost without realizing it, suddenly goes directly to the right. You've done it. Your brain has finally accepted the move.

And so it is with bigger changes in your life or at work. At first you startle, maybe you get frustrated, and eventually, after some negotiation and maybe some somber thoughts, you embrace the new. Change is like moving that trash can: it takes time, but eventually your brain gets used to it.

At ROWNIT, we understand that change is sometimes as difficult as getting used to a trash can moving from left to right. That's why we guide people through these changes, step by step, until they not only get used to the new situation, but fully embrace it. For this we use the Kotter method, so we train dealing with change so that it becomes more of a habit and resistance is reduced. Because whether it's a simple trash can or a large-scale digital transformation, we make sure that you not only endure the change, but come out of it stronger.