Multi-Tasking Causes Stress and Kills Your Productivity
Multi-Tasking Destroys Your Productivity And Leads To Stress That Can Kill You!
Many people have their to-do list filled up. But, they still don’t seem to get the most important tasks done by the end of the day. This is a common problem. So much precious time is wasted on various types of distractions. Many erroneously think that multi-tasking is the solution to getting maximum efficiency out of every minute. In fact, the reverse is the case.
By: Greg Montoya
Stop Multi-Tasking If You Need To Get More Done
You may not know it, but multi-tasking is the main problem when it comes to getting more done. Why is it so? Because multi-tasking requires your brain to undergo several distinct maneuvers that hinders efficiency and productivity. Your brain has to take the complex creative thoughts you have and place them into temporal memory. This enables the switch between tasks. Subsequently, it must clean out your working memory. And, go to long-term memory to recover the information that you will need to deal with the new task.
Your brain has to go through this whole sequence again when you change back to the very first task you were working on. With each swap, you find yourself losing efficacy plus time. Multi-tasking is additionally a significant cause of many mistakes and this is because of the way your brain works. By learning to concentrate on one thing at a time, you can achieve optimum efficiency with your work.
Your Multi-Tasking E-Mail Habits Can Make or Break Your Efficiency
Checking your email constantly is one major way of sabotaging your productivity. Moreover, you wind up with lots of unattended work at the end of every day. Here are some ways you can best manage your email habits to improve efficiency:
- Process your email in batches. You can batch to at most four times every day. In between, don’t look at your inbox. Make sure you switch off any email alert sounds on your device. That would definitely be a distraction each time you hear the sound.
- Stop copying people in your emails and messages, particularly in a business environment. This results in wasted time when you copy multiple individuals. If someone doesn’t really need to be included in any email exchange, then don’t include them. You can even set up your e-mail to mechanically filter all e-mails you are copied on onto a specific folder. Then, you can look at when you have time.
- You have to know that you don’t need to respond back to all e-mails received. Understanding this could be an empowering and time saving discovery.
- Stop using “Reply to All” with your email responses. It creates an influx of e-mails that are unneeded when everyone on the mailing list begins responding to everyone. By removing the group function from their e-mail system, businesses can get plenty of work done.
- Avoid using e-mail for making appointments, or when giving someone negative feedback or negative news. Both of these are most efficiently managed over the telephone. Additionally, avoid using e-mail when conveying an emotional problem. Particularly, when you are mad as the e-mail could be interpreted in the wrong way.
Setting the Basis for Optimum Brain Function
In regards to productivity, optimizing your general brain health is very important. After all, in case your brain does not function correctly to begin with. If it’s “sluggish” from lack of nourishment and sleep, no quantity of productivity tips is going to save you.
Normalizing your insulin and blood sugar level is so important when it comes to brain function. Alzheimer’s disease is occasionally called “type 3 diabetes” or “brain diabetes”. Thus, emphasizing the connection between insulin resistance and decreasing brain function.
Insulin is in fact a good multi-tasker. It assists with neuron glucose-uptake. As well as the management of neurotransmitters, like acetylcholine, which are critical learning.
Decrease your fructose/sugar and non-fiber carb consumption. Also, make sure you have a lot of healthful fats. These include animal-based omega 3, found in krill oil, fish oil, and fish.
Studies suggests that a Mediterranean diet, rich in olive as well as fish helps protect the brain function. In a study participants had several tablespoons of olive oil each day. They did better on tests used to evaluate thinking speed.
Exercise and Sleep Can Help Your Brain Work Better
Another important factor that can have a significant effect on your mental performance is exercise. The very active individuals generally have better patterns of brain activity. Also, better brain oxygenation. Especially in the connection of certain areas of the brain together.
Such patterns are related to improved cognitive function. Exercise triggers the generation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). This maintains brain cells and activates brain stem cells to convert into new neurons. Essentially makes your brain larger.
Other research has indicated that exercises helps the mitochondria biogenesis. This is the miniature intracellular organelles that generate most of your body’s energy. Thus, indicating exercise helps your brain work faster and perform better.
In addition, sleep is important in the event you would like to achieve new mental insights. Also to have the ability to find creative alternatives to the issues you run into on any given day. Proper sleep helps enhance your operation of challenging abilities, and improves your memory creation.
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Nurturing and Nourishing the Second Brain
You probably don’t know it, but your gut is your “second brain”. Most importantly, gut bacteria carries information to your brain through the vagus nerve. This is the 10th cranial nerve that runs from your brain stem into your enteric nervous system. There’s a close link between abnormal brain function and abnormal gut flora. Put simply, your brain function can be impacted by the health of your gut.
The gut bacteria are an integrated and active part of the human body. Thus, really depends on the diet of each person. Also, will be affected by the person’s lifestyle.
Reduce the amount of sugar and processed food you consume. Also, eating fermented foods (rich in naturally occurring great bacteria) are on the list. Thus, the most effective methods to optimize your gut flora and afterwards support the health of your brain.
Tips to Help Boost Your Productivity and Mental Performance
Here are recommended tips that may help boost your brain productivity and mental performance:
Dissociate yourself from electronic media sometimes
Besides being a time-drain, being always linked to your smartphone also prevents you from achieving so many things. Without this electronica media distraction you will achieve so much more!
When you interrupt your work all of the time for messages, you’d probably need up to four times more hours to do your work. Therefore, experiencing more anxiety, sleeping less, working longer hours, while making a lot of mistakes. Also, nearly impossible to establish and achieve your goals. Thus, without setting aside periods of time to “take stock” on your work. What you’re doing right now and what you need to do to get to your goals.
Listen to the right music
There has been theories stipulating that listening to music may increase your brainpower. You have likely heard of the “Mozart Effect”. This implies listening to classical music can make you more intelligent.
Studies prove that listening to music while exercising fosters cognitive degrees. Also, verbal fluency skills in individuals diagnosed with coronary artery disease. This disease is associated with a decrease in cognitive capabilities.
In this study, indications of progress in the verbal fluency regions more than doubled after listening to music. This is compared to that of the non-music session. Listening to music has also been correlated with improved mental focus among healthy adults and increased cognitive performance. So, make sure to listen to music whenever you can.
Different genres of music have distinct effects on brain function. For work that is creative, choose ambient lyric-free music. Keeping the volume at a reasonable degree. Played too loud, it might become disturbing. Music such as disco, hip hop, etc. work best for physical jobs like cleaning and exercises. However, should you find the sound of music distracting, take measures to ensure your surroundings are quiet. Earplugs or headphones can work in the event you are in a noisy setting.
Bring some elements of nature indoors
Anxiety and stress is managed by changing your workspace to contain some of the elements in nature. Ensure that your workspace receives natural light from an open window if you’re able to. House plants and images of nature can be useful.
Reward yourself
Most of us have some job or tasks that we often procrastinate over. This means it lingers on the to-do list forever or until the last minute. Move yourself to get it done by choosing a reward to give yourself after the job is done.
Read and write frequently
There are some advantages that comes with being a writer and a great reader. A study on seniors found that those who wrote and read the most had the smallest number of memory loss.
Prayer and Meditation
Spending time sitting away from every activity and distraction can reset your mind and help your brain to perform better. Prayer and meditation trains the spirit and mind to rest. 10 – 15 minutes every day in the morning would be a perfect start.
If You Really Want to Get More Done Master Some Basic Life Skills
Enhancing your productivity entails more than just figuring out the best way for multi-tasking. Thus, getting varieties of jobs done within a particular time-frame. Ensuring you give your brain nourishment and suitable rest are foundational aspects for almost any mental operation. Same goes for physical exercise, which can really help with boosting the cognition and clarity of idea. Once your brain is working efficiently, then productivity tools including batch processing emails and developing a work environment that’s conducive to concentrate can be placed to their finest use.