Do you want to know how to care for your mind and increase your productivity? Did you know that caring for your mind helps increase your productivity? Usually, when people talk about productivity, they often tackle issues about managing time. However, there’s a lesser-known opinion on productivity that you should know about.
Well, this lesser-known strategy in improving productivity is more on managing your mind, not your time.
It’s about taking a mindful approach in dealing with the tasks and projects in front of you.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that managing time completely takes a back seat.
To achieve balance and the best results, you should look at both time and mind management as your top priorities.
Properly managing or caring for your mind and increasing your productivity come hand in hand.
With a clear and healthy mind, it would be much easier to focus on the tasks and projects that you are working on.
It will also be harder for you to be distracted because your mind is now able to fix its attention on your priorities and reject everything else.
That said, you should always be looking for ways on how to care for your mind.
Below are some practical strategies on how to care for your mind.
Most of these will take just a few minutes of your time every day.
They won’t cut that deep into your busy schedule.
Learn Stress Management
Problems with mental focus and productivity are often caused by too much stress.
So, if you want to get rid of these problems, you need to learn how to increase mental focus through stress management.
Aside from avoiding stressors, you should also take the time to meditate, relax, exercise, and engage in passion projects.
Doing more of these things can perform wonders to your mental focus and productivity.
Get Mental Stimulation
A stagnant brain isn’t a healthy brain.
Another very powerful method on how to increase mental focus is to engage in activities that stimulate your brain.
Such an activity can be anything as long as it stimulates your brain and you find it to be fun and enjoyable.
It doesn’t have to be a purely mental activity like playing chess or answering crossword puzzles.
It can also be physical activities like writing a poem, playing sheet music, painting a picture, or taking photography lessons.
All of these, exercise your brain.
Improve Your Diet
If you don’t eat healthy foods, your body will suffer, and that includes your brain.
Good nutrition is the foundation of a healthy body and mind.
There are certain foods that are scientifically proven to be effective in boosting brain function and memory.
These include fatty fish, dark chocolate, berries, nuts and seeds, whole grains, coffee, avocados, eggs, peanuts, broccoli, kale, soy products, oranges, and green tea.
Practice Mindfulness
Practicing mindfulness is one of the keys to learning how to focus.
But how exactly do you practice mindfulness?
The goal is to become aware of where you are and what you are doing without becoming overly reactive or overwhelmed by what is going on around you.
As you can see, practicing mindfulness isn’t just about taking care of your mental faculties i.e. your mind, it’s also about learning how to increase productivity.
It takes time to master this strategy so you should take time to practice it every day.
Practicing mindfulness is very similar to meditation.
Avoid Unhealthy Habits and Vices
Avoid cigarettes and don’t drink too much.
It’s actually good to drink wine or alcoholic beverages occasionally but you shouldn’t turn it into a daily habit.
Also, don’t fall into the trap of using drugs (prescription or over the counter) to try and boost your mental capabilities.
The effects of such drugs are often short-term.
This means you have to keep taking them to maintain your mental alertness.
This can be very dangerous because it may eventually lead to drug addiction.
Reward Yourself When You Achieve Your Productivity Goals
Getting rewards for tasks and projects you’ve done well is a great way to keep your mind focused and alert.
Rewarding yourself pushes you, even more, to get your productivity goals in order.
Keep in mind that just because you achieved your goals in a particular day or week doesn’t mean you will always maintain your streak for the succeeding days and weeks.
Anything can happen to throw you off your game.
Stop and reward yourself when you achieve your goals.
Get Quality Sleep
Your brain can slowly shut down if it’s overworked and you regularly don’t get enough sleep.
Not getting enough sleep slows down your brain’s functions.
With that said, always make sure that you get quality sleep and rest before you get to work in the morning.
Most experts recommend that you get at least seven (7) hours of sleep every night to help your brain function at optimal levels the next morning.
Too little sleep disrupts blood flow to the brain which, in turn, disrupts memory, thinking, and concentration.
Be More Social
The brain also needs social stimulation.
If you spend too much time with yourself without connecting and engaging with other people, your brain’s social functions can go stagnant.
Have you ever wondered why people who are socially active also tend to be mentally healthy?
It’s because a brain connected to the outside world is a healthy brain.
The brain is like a machine.
It has to be regularly stimulated through social interaction for it to function properly.
Now that you know how to take care of your mind, let’s now look at the strategies on how to increase productivity.
These tips work best if you have a healthy mind.
Tips On How To Improve Your Focus And Increase Your Productivity
Eat A Nutritious And Balanced Breakfast Before You Start Your Day At Work
Breakfast is very important.
Working hungry and depleted is one of the main reasons why people are very unproductive.
Being hungry and struggling to focus come hand in hand.
Eating a fulfilling breakfast will rev up your body’s metabolism.
This is the process that converts the food you have eaten into energy.
In short, eating a healthy breakfast will help you focus and perform better by providing you with the energy you need to get through the tasks of the day.
Take A Couple Of Minutes Several Times During The Day To Stretch Your Body, Relax, And Get Your Bearings Back.
Working for long stretches of time can get you tired, bored, and lazy.
Just a few minutes of stretching can wake your body up and relax your brain.
See, when you stand up and do some stretching, blood flow in your body increases.
Exercise aids in delivering essential oxygen and nutrients to your body, especially to your brain.
If you don’t like stretching, you can just go out for a quick walk or stroll outside.
Some people even go out for a quick jog.
Just find the type of instant exercise that suits you.
Meditate
Research studies have shown over and over again that meditation is one of the best focus techniques you can use to improve productivity.
Meditation helps a lot in improving brain function and overall well-being.
You don’t have to go to a yoga studio or meditation center to meditate.
You can do it right inside your office.
All the information you need to start meditating is available online.
For example, there are countless meditation tutorial videos on YouTube.
You can start by watching these so you will know how to begin.
Meditation is a powerful technique on how to care for your mind and increase productivity.
You should do it every day.
Unplug Every Now and Then
The biggest workplace distraction today is the constant presence of digital media.
If you work in a setting where you have easy access to the internet, it’s very easy to give in to the urge to check your email, log into Facebook, watch videos on YouTube, or play online video games.
You will be struggling to focus if you are surrounded by such distractions.
Therefore, you should learn to unplug when necessary.
Just go offline.
Turn off your office computer.
Disable the wireless connection for a while.
Just do what you need to do to get your mind offline.
If you run a business wherein online connectivity is not a major part of your operations, you might want to consider disconnecting from the internet altogether.
Check The Thermostat
Whether you prefer working under cold conditions or under warm conditions, you need a thermostat to help you control the temperature in your workplace.
There are studies conducted to find out if there’s a connection between room temperature and productivity.
Many of these studies show that people tend to be more productive under warm conditions compared to those under cold conditions.
Of course, there are always exceptions.
What you should do is find the ideal temperature for you and stick with it.
If you work with other people in the same room, you should consider talking to them about deciding which temperature the room should be under.
Set Clear Goals
Be as specific as possible on the tasks and projects you are going to work on.
This is one of the most effective ways to focus because it provides you with a clear path on what you should do and what you shouldn’t.
For example, instead of saying you are going to work for eight hours the next day, you should make a list of all the tasks you must complete on that day.
This will help you avoid distractions that may come up along the way.
Create the list the night before or early in the morning before you get to work.
Create A Focus-Friendly Environment
I’m sure that you are going to agree with me when I say that your work environment plays a major role in your capability to focus.
Most of the focus techniques we discussed in this article won’t accomplish much if you work in a messy environment.
You can start by clearing out as much clutter as possible from your workspace.
Get rid of all the things that you don’t need or the things that distract you from your duties.
Your performance in your office will decrease if there are too many things craving for your attention.
Remember, your attention should always be on the tasks and projects at hand.
Don’t Buy Into The Myth Of Multitasking
There’s this common mistaken belief that multitasking can increase your productivity.
The truth is that it rarely does, especially in a workplace setting.
Most of the time, multitasking only distracts you from your goals.
Trying to do more than one thing at the same time is not as efficient as you may think.
It only ends up ruining your focus and decreasing your productivity.
Needless to say, you should approach your tasks and projects one at a time.
Complete a task before moving to the next.
Find A Great Combination Of A Chair And Table
Improving focus is easier to accomplish if you are comfortable in the furniture you are using.
A chair that causes you to work with a bad posture or in a very uncomfortable position can eat away at your productivity.
The same can be said about your table.
The chair and the table should complement each other well.
They shouldn’t be either too high or too low.
When it comes to chairs, you should find one with ample cushioning and adjustable back support.
As with the table, there should be enough space under it so that you can stretch and relax your legs when necessary.
Identify And Eliminate Your Stressors
A stressor is something that causes a state of strain or tension while you are working.
It will be very difficult to learn how to focus if there are too many sources of stress around you.
Stressors draw your attention away from productivity.
Take a few minutes to think about what’s stressing you out during the day.
Create a list of these stressors.
When you wake up every morning and when you are at work, think about how you are going to weed out these stressors.
Try Chewing Gum
Sometimes, improving focus can be achieved by finding a small activity that enables you to maintain your attention on just one thing.
For this reason, we recommend chewing gum while you go through the day’s tasks and projects.
This is even backed up by a scientific study.
There was a study done by researchers at Cardiff University.
In it, they came up with the conclusion that chewing gum significantly increases alertness as well as improves a person’s attention span.
These are two very important factors that you need to focus on.
Many people think that chewing gum is very distracting.
Well, it’s not and there’s science to back it up.
So, you should probably try it sometime.
Set Up Ground Rules In Your Workspace
Sometimes, your co-workers or your employees can be the cause of your unproductivity.
Finding ways to focus also involves making sure that your co-workers and employees know how you operate in your workspace.
For example, if you are usually deep into your tasks in the morning, you can instruct your employees to not disturb you during morning hours.
They should wait until the afternoon before knocking on your door.
Or you can simply place signs in your office door that says “I’m busy” or “do not interrupt”.
Love What You Do
This is one of the most powerful ways to improve productivity.
If you love doing something, then you don’t mind doing it more often.
This means you get more tasks and projects done in less time.
In short, enjoying what you do is the ultimate key to increasing your productivity.
So, learn to love your job and everything will fall into place.
Complete Your Most Dreaded And Difficult Tasks Early In The Morning
Of all the work productivity tips discussed here, this is something you should take seriously.
The tasks that you dread the most should be the ones you focus on in the morning.
This is because it is usually the time when you are most focused and energized.
Create a checklist of the tasks and projects you need to finish.
Rank them from the most difficult to the easiest.
When you report to work in the morning, you should prioritize the most difficult ones.
Always Keep A Pen And Small Notebook With You
This is where you jot down things that you want to do and finish for the day.
You can also jot down ideas that come to you during the day.
If you see something in your routine that needs improvement, jot it down so that you can think of solutions later when you have time.
Try to keep in mind and regularly implement all of these work productivity tips.
With them, you should see a substantial increase in your productivity in the coming weeks and months.
These are very practical tips that don’t require too much energy from you so you have no excuse in not following them.
Do you know more ways to care for the mind and increase productivity?
Do share!
Click on Buy Now For a PDF Version of This Blog Post
 |
