It’s time to remove “brain fog” and break through any mental barriers you have. Focussing on improving your productivity and focus can significantly enhance your daily life – you’ll be able complete more tasks in less time and maintain razor focus during important events.
If you’re feeling tired or demotivated, you’ll be less likely to perform well in whatever your chosen task is. By proactively controlling your mental state, you’ll be able to increase productivity, giving you more free time for other tasks.
Due to technological advances, people are required to complete more tasks in the workplace than ever before. It’s important to optimise productivity so you can efficiently manage these tasks and reach your goals.
Improving your productivity will give you more free time for friends and family which can improve your wellbeing and the relationships you have. It will also allow you to fit in the additional fitness sessions you may not have had time for previously. This approach can help you reach your fitness goals and allow you to reach an optimum state of health.
Being focussed and alert go hand-in-hand with productivity. If you can think clearly and are more alert, you’ll continue to produce good work and perform well, even under stress.
Benefits of being more productive and improving your focus include:
Excelling in your career
Concentrating for longer periods of time without fading
Having more time for friends and family
Increasing your earning potential
Removing brain fog
Being more alert
Check out our 8 favourite ways to biohack your body to increase productivity and focus. We use the hacks on a weekly basis to improve our lifestyle and get results. If you’d like more tips to optimise your mental performance, check out our Mind Guide or contact us for your own Personalised Plan.
1. Green Tea
Green tea contains caffeine and L-theanine – the caffeine will help improve your focus and the L-theanine can promote calmness without drowsiness. This will put you in the perfect state for optimum productivity. L-theanine helps release the caffeine more slowly, so you remain focussed for longer - it also increases the number of alpha-waves in the brain, an indication of relaxation without drowsiness[i].
The natural compound found in green tea called EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate) has been shown to disrupt the build-up of plaques in the brain, which is what causes the cells to die and can cause Alzheimer’s[ii]. Results show that those who have a high consumption of green tea have a lower risk of cognitive impairment and have increased memory improvement[iii].
Productivity-Boosting Tip: add 2 cups of green tea to your daily routine. Drink one mid-morning and the other after lunch to help promote optimum productivity.
2. Breathe!
Ensure you breathe deeply ahead of and during important tasks. Your brain needs oxygen and brain cells can only live a few minutes without it. Many people hold their breath when concentrating:
Productivity-Boosting Tip: break this habit and take 3 deep breaths before important tasks. You can also try alternate nostril breathing for increased focus and energy - studies have shown that breathing through your left nostril can have a calming effect while breathing through your right nostril can give you energy[iv].
To try this simple technique, close off your right nostril with your right thumb. Inhale slowly through your left nostril. Pause for a moment. Now release your right thumb and close your left nostril with your left thumb and exhale slowly through your right nostril. Then alternate sides by inhaling through the right and exhaling through the left. Repeat several times, starting with just a few repetitions and build up over time. This is a powerful and convenient technique you can use in nearly all situations.
3. Improve Concentration with Dopamine
Neurotransmitters are chemicals that brain cells use to communicate with each other. One of the most important ones is dopamine. Dopamine provides your “get up and go.”
If you have trouble concentrating, you may have a dopamine deficiency. Low energy, low motivation and lack of libido are all signs of low dopamine.
Productivity-Boosting Tip: a protein-rich diet is an excellent source of the amino acids needed to create dopamine[v]. As well as all animal proteins, add foods that promote dopamine formation -we’ve given you a list to try below. Additionally, ensure you exercise regularly and include high-intensity training to help increase your dopamine levels.
Try consuming the below foods to give your dopamine levels a boost:
Avocados
Apples
Bananas
Beets
Green leafy vegetables
Oatmeal
Dark chocolate
Green tea
Coffee
Supplementing to Boost Dopamine
You can also supplement to increase dopamine levels. Good supplements to improve dopamine levels include; L-tyrosine, phosphatidylserine (PS), and Ginkgo biloba. We recommend adding one to your weekly routine to give your dopamine levels a boost.
4. Pomodoro
Pomodoro is Italian for “tomato”. It’s also the name of a brilliant productivity tip. The “Pomodoro Technique” was developed by an Italian graduate student as a study tool.
Productivity-Boosting Tip: select a task you want to concentrate on. Set a timer for 25 minutes, then start work on the task without interruption. If your mind starts to wander, remind yourself you only need to concentrate for a short period. When the 25 minutes is finished, take a 5-minute break, walk around or stretch. When you’re ready, do another “Pomodoro”!
When you do a Pomodoro, you are doing more than just spending 25 minutes in a highly productive state, you are actually training your brain to block out distractions and learning how to increase concentration levels for an extended period of time.
6. Stretching
Get the blood flowing to improve concentration levels
Productivity-Boosting Tip: get up from your seat and release lethargy and tension with a few minutes of stretching. If you are in an office, get up and go for a walk – you can also pull your arms across your chest and stretch your neck left and right. This will promote some extra blood flow and put you in a good state to take on your next task. If you have more space and time, then dedicate 5 -10 minutes each day to stretching while you’re at work. Find a quiet area and work through some basic stretches.
7. Your Productivity Window
Find the optimal parts of your day where you work most effectively. This could be late morning and mid-afternoon. A lot of adults do their best thinking in the late morning as their working memory and alertness can peak at this point. Try these two periods when trying to find your optimum productivity window.
Productivity-Boosting Tip: when you’ve found your preferred productivity window, schedule two 90-minute blocks of uninterrupted time, and try and get as much work done as you can during these periods.
Get in touch with us on social media and let us know how you get on with the hacks: @The_OptimalU
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