{"id":7244,"date":"2025-11-26T14:59:07","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T13:59:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web-dev-weissblau.de\/microconsult\/?p=7244"},"modified":"2026-02-14T18:17:22","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T17:17:22","slug":"the-thing-about-the-brain-chicken","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/en\/die-sache-mit-dem-hirnhuhn\/","title":{"rendered":"The thing about the brain chicken"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today we're going to explore a highly mysterious phenomenon: the existence of the non-existent. But what does that have to do with projects? Prepare to be surprised.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For the next hour, do not think about chicken at all, neither as a hen, a rooster, a chick, nor an egg, nor in any form\u2014live, grilled, cooked, or painted. Whenever the thought arises, immediately make a mark on a piece of paper you have ready.<\/p>\n

What should you stop thinking about? That was the first mark! As you can see, maximum concentration is required. Please continue reading the article in about an hour. Anyone who continues reading immediately will be penalized with 10 marks. You'll probably still get off lightly. Because from now on, the dangers lurk around every corner.<\/p>\n

Is the lesson over? How's your tally sheet coming along? Remember, you're NOT allowed to remember a certain bird (don't forget the mark!). You've probably noticed that not thinking about something is one of the hardest things there is. Our brains have a problem with negations, even though they can handle them quite well linguistically and analytically. But how can it not think about a\u2026 without thinking about a\u2026?<\/p>\n

Now you absolutely must add another mark to your list. You might still be annoyed that you forgot to do something, and then you make the next mark. You might even find yourself thinking about it every time you see it from now on.<\/p>\n

Goals, tasks, or statements that demand something must NOT be or should NOT be done inevitably draw attention precisely to what is to be avoided. This makes sense because, firstly, it's logical that what is negated must also exist. Secondly, it's biologically logical because avoiding, for example, a source of danger presupposes its awareness. The brain does everything correctly when it strictly distinguishes between negating and deleting a thought. Negation even prevents the deletion of thoughts. Quod erat demonstrandum, cackles the gleeful "you-know-it-all" (don't forget the dash!). So don't get annoyed if the "chicken" (this doesn't count now \u2013 no dash) determines your thoughts, feelings, and actions from today onward, even if you consciously decided against it. There are not only earworms, but also brain chickens.<\/p>\n

The difficulties only begin when the non-existent is given a mental existence, for example in the form of a mental chicken, instead of ensuring that what is or should become reality exists in thought. This creates not only the unfortunate misdirection of attention but also another dilemma: we are left wondering, perplexed, what we should think about instead of the chicken. Dog, giraffe, cat, mole...? Okay, that was a bit complicated. So here's an example.<\/p>\n

What comes to mind when you hear a plea like, "Guys, we will NOT fail, banish words like crisis or problem from your vocabulary"? It's meant to motivate, but instead it causes the signs of failure, crises, and problems to start haunting our minds, and all the associations we connect with them to gleefully take over our mood.<\/p>\n

The well-intentioned statement fosters a negative emotional state that is difficult to counter with the rational objection, "He didn't mean it that way!" Despite all the rational effort, our gut feeling tells us to avoid anything negative closely associated with the project. Ideally, we should avoid the project altogether.<\/p>\n

Likewise, every estimate, every rumor, and every insult, even if later denied, remains etched somewhere in our minds. Like that damned bird!<\/p>\n

Tips against brain chickens:<\/h4>\n

Say what you want and NOT what you DON'T want! Now I've fallen into the trap myself with that last sentence. Do you notice how our neurons savor the first part of the sentence, "Say what you want"? It literally melts on the tongue. The second part, "and NOT what you DON'T want," on the other hand, is like a piece of fish with bones that you laboriously and tentatively move around in your mouth. NOTHING is like bones!<\/p>\n

Second attempt: Say what you want! "Guys, we've proven hundreds of times that we can do it. We'll celebrate the success party again this time when the project has a happy ending!" That sounds much better, doesn't it?.<\/p>\n

Create the image of the reality you desire: satisfied customers, a great product, a boss patting you on the back in approval, and so on. When nagging thoughts like "I don't want any trouble with customers" or "I hope there won't be a recall" cowardly creep up on you, wring their necks. To do this, repeatedly remind yourself of the images that will help you successfully overcome obstacles, instead of staring at them in frustration.<\/p>\n

Have a \u2026 (guess what) for lunch today. Because \u2013 and this is my last tip \u2013 if you can't get rid of the chicken, make the best of it.<\/p>\n

Enjoy your meal and best of luck with the project!<\/p>\n

I look forward to your suggestions below.\u00a0denkanstoss@microconsult.de<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Further information<\/h3>\n

Training & coaching<\/strong>
\nMicroConsult Training & Coaching on project management<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

MicroConsult training and coaching - overview<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Food for thought:<\/strong>
\nColumn by Peter Siwon about the human side of project work<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Peter Siwon: Systemic project management<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Heute befassen wir uns mit einem h\u00f6chst mysteri\u00f6sen Ph\u00e4nomen: die Existenz des Nichtexistenten. Was aber hat das mit Projekten zu tun? Lassen Sie sich \u00fcberraschen. Denken Sie ab jetzt eine Stunde lang nicht mehr an ein Huhn, weder in Form einer Henne, eines Gockels, eines K\u00fckens oder eines Eies noch in lebender, gegrillter, gekochter oder […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[31],"class_list":["post-7244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-projektmanagement","tag-projektmanagement"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDie Sache mit dem Hirnhuhn - MicroConsult Academy GmbH<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/en\/the-thing-about-the-brain-chicken\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Die Sache mit dem Hirnhuhn - MicroConsult Academy GmbH\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Heute befassen wir uns mit einem h\u00f6chst mysteri\u00f6sen Ph\u00e4nomen: die Existenz des Nichtexistenten. Was aber hat das mit Projekten zu tun? Lassen Sie sich \u00fcberraschen. Denken Sie ab jetzt eine Stunde lang nicht mehr an ein Huhn, weder in Form einer Henne, eines Gockels, eines K\u00fckens oder eines Eies noch in lebender, gegrillter, gekochter oder […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/en\/the-thing-about-the-brain-chicken\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MicroConsult Academy GmbH\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-26T13:59:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-14T17:17:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"weissblau media\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"weissblau media\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.microconsult.de\\\/die-sache-mit-dem-hirnhuhn\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.microconsult.de\\\/die-sache-mit-dem-hirnhuhn\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"weissblau media\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.microconsult.de\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b6d4c4ae959b068fbe8d9416ed019a0a\"},\"headline\":\"Die Sache mit dem Hirnhuhn\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-26T13:59:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-14T17:17:22+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.microconsult.de\\\/die-sache-mit-dem-hirnhuhn\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":902,\"commentCount\":0,\"keywords\":[\"Projektmanagement\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Projektmanagement\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.microconsult.de\\\/die-sache-mit-dem-hirnhuhn\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.microconsult.de\\\/die-sache-mit-dem-hirnhuhn\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.microconsult.de\\\/die-sache-mit-dem-hirnhuhn\\\/\",\"name\":\"Die Sache mit dem Hirnhuhn - MicroConsult Academy GmbH\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.microconsult.de\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-26T13:59:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-14T17:17:22+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.microconsult.de\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b6d4c4ae959b068fbe8d9416ed019a0a\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.microconsult.de\\\/die-sache-mit-dem-hirnhuhn\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.microconsult.de\\\/die-sache-mit-dem-hirnhuhn\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.microconsult.de\\\/die-sache-mit-dem-hirnhuhn\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.microconsult.de\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Die Sache mit dem Hirnhuhn\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.microconsult.de\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.microconsult.de\\\/\",\"name\":\"MicroConsult Academy GmbH\",\"description\":\"Professionelle Schulungen, Beratung und Projektunterst\u00fctzung\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.microconsult.de\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.microconsult.de\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b6d4c4ae959b068fbe8d9416ed019a0a\",\"name\":\"weissblau media\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/bbb409da4970da9446f6c49465d453cb8a0dae301e4d4f465b5c4e62408daa2e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/bbb409da4970da9446f6c49465d453cb8a0dae301e4d4f465b5c4e62408daa2e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/bbb409da4970da9446f6c49465d453cb8a0dae301e4d4f465b5c4e62408daa2e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"weissblau media\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.microconsult.de\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The thing about the brain chicken - MicroConsult Academy GmbH","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/en\/the-thing-about-the-brain-chicken\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Die Sache mit dem Hirnhuhn - MicroConsult Academy GmbH","og_description":"Heute befassen wir uns mit einem h\u00f6chst mysteri\u00f6sen Ph\u00e4nomen: die Existenz des Nichtexistenten. Was aber hat das mit Projekten zu tun? Lassen Sie sich \u00fcberraschen. Denken Sie ab jetzt eine Stunde lang nicht mehr an ein Huhn, weder in Form einer Henne, eines Gockels, eines K\u00fckens oder eines Eies noch in lebender, gegrillter, gekochter oder […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/en\/the-thing-about-the-brain-chicken\/","og_site_name":"MicroConsult Academy GmbH","article_published_time":"2025-11-26T13:59:07+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-02-14T17:17:22+00:00","author":"weissblau media","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"weissblau media","Estimated reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/die-sache-mit-dem-hirnhuhn\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/die-sache-mit-dem-hirnhuhn\/"},"author":{"name":"weissblau media","@id":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/#\/schema\/person\/b6d4c4ae959b068fbe8d9416ed019a0a"},"headline":"Die Sache mit dem Hirnhuhn","datePublished":"2025-11-26T13:59:07+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-14T17:17:22+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/die-sache-mit-dem-hirnhuhn\/"},"wordCount":902,"commentCount":0,"keywords":["Projektmanagement"],"articleSection":["Projektmanagement"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/die-sache-mit-dem-hirnhuhn\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/die-sache-mit-dem-hirnhuhn\/","url":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/die-sache-mit-dem-hirnhuhn\/","name":"The thing about the brain chicken - MicroConsult Academy GmbH","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-11-26T13:59:07+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-14T17:17:22+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/#\/schema\/person\/b6d4c4ae959b068fbe8d9416ed019a0a"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/die-sache-mit-dem-hirnhuhn\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/die-sache-mit-dem-hirnhuhn\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/die-sache-mit-dem-hirnhuhn\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Die Sache mit dem Hirnhuhn"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/","name":"MicroConsult Academy GmbH","description":"Professional training, consulting and project support","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/#\/schema\/person\/b6d4c4ae959b068fbe8d9416ed019a0a","name":"weissblau media","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bbb409da4970da9446f6c49465d453cb8a0dae301e4d4f465b5c4e62408daa2e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bbb409da4970da9446f6c49465d453cb8a0dae301e4d4f465b5c4e62408daa2e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bbb409da4970da9446f6c49465d453cb8a0dae301e4d4f465b5c4e62408daa2e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"weissblau media"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.microconsult.de"]}]}},"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7244"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7244\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11881,"href":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7244\/revisions\/11881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}