The good thing about having routine is that you do not need a system or expensive implements to increase your mental performance; simple will work just fine if done consistently. Beginning your day with purpose can determine how the entire course of your day will go.
A morning routine that follows a consistent pattern helps to decrease the number of decisions to be made by the brain and allows you to focus faster than you ordinarily would by rushing into work without a plan or looking at your telephone for notifications the second you wake up. A structured start makes it easier for the brain to think clearly and feel in control.
Activities That Create Mental Clarity
Reviewing your goals or long-term vision for yourself, Doing light exercising to get blood flowing. Completing these activities will help eliminate excess mental clutter from your mind in preparation for working in a focused manner.
After some period of time, your brain will automatically connect these habits together to provide you with a productive day and an ability to think calmly. One of the main causes for most people being unable to be productive is the switching of their tasks that occurs throughout the day.
Deep Work & Time Blocking
Each time you switch a task, your brain loses its efficiency. Deep work is simply focusing on one major task without distractions for a period of time as a way to improve efficiency.
Time blocking is an easy way to do this. Rather than going from one task to another, identify specific blocks of time for each of your important tasks.
- This will allow you to create a framework of your day.
- Review and modify your time blocking daily.
- The consistent use of this method will allow you to accomplish additional tasks in a shorter amount of time while providing a better end product.
Managing Digital Distraction Effectively
Currently, digital distractions are one of the largest obstacles against having mental clarity. Once you’ve set your personal boundaries, you can easily manage digital distractions.
- Establish times when you will check your email versus simply checking it every time you hear an alert or notification from the application.
- Establish time blocks in which you will spend on social media versus utilizing social media throughout the entirety of each day.
- By using website blockers your productivity will increase as a result of fewer distractions from websites while you are working.
- Keep your workspace free of all electronic devices that are not needed for your current tasks.
Physical Health and Mental Clarity
Your mental clarity and productivity have a direct correlation to how physically you maintain your health. When you feel strong and healthy physically your brain operates at a higher capacity than normal.
Incorporating simple habits into your daily routine such as getting a sufficient amount of sleep, drinking plenty of water and eating healthy, balanced meals have a positive effect on the efficiency and effectiveness of your brain. Major corporations like Apple and Google have put wellness programs in place because in addition to having happy employees they have increased levels of productivity amongst their employees through improved quality of decision-making.
Nutrition, Sleep and Movement
The lack of sleep will consequently impair a person’s capacity to focus, to remember things and to solve problems, which in turn will also result in their inability to perform basic tasks. Nutrition can also contribute significantly to how effectively a person is able to perform mentally.
In addition, if a person eats heavy meals while at work, he or she will not have a readily available source of energy to focus. Regular movement has a physical impact on how efficiently blood flows through a person’s brain, and therefore positively impacts an individual’s creativity and ability to think creatively.
- You do not have to perform high-intensity workouts to receive mind benefits.
- Simply moving for intervals maximizes your energy level.
- Whenever possible, add time for movement throughout your entire workday.
Mindfulness and Mental Reset
Mental clutter can accumulate rapidly as well if breaks are not taken on a regular basis to avoid the negative impact of stress and excessive rumination on our ability to concentrate. Mindfulness provides a simple way to clear your mind of excessive thoughts and regain control of your concentration.
High-pressure leaders consistently refer to Cal Newport and highlight the connection between focus of attention and mental recovery as an important aspect of brain performance. Taking periodic time out of your day is a form of mental reset for the brain.
Simple Mindfulness Techniques
You can easily practice basic forms of mindfulness through techniques such as deep breathing or very brief meditation sessions. Sitting in a chair and simply focusing on your breath for 5 minutes will help release stress and decrease distractions.
Task Management and Consistency
Using simple task management systems will provide you with structure so that you can remain focused and productive long-term. The purpose of the task management system is to create a clear path to capture, organize, and complete your tasks in a timely manner with limited stress levels.
Maintain Consistency & Simplicity
Staying consistent is more important than being complicated. Your list of tasks provides you with a daily basis for reviewing what you need to complete as well as if you need to revise your overall list.
Routinely completing your daily review makes your system much more dependable, preventing tasks from accumulating. You may also want to break your larger task down into numerous smaller pieces.
- This allows you to progress through the tasks more easily.
- This allows you to maintain a steady pace of completion.
- Having a simple and consistent system develops confidence and promotes productivity.
Closure Through Reflection & Planning
How you conclude your work day gives you an excellent indication how you are likely to begin your work day. If you have not created a system of closure to your mind related to your work, you will likely be continuing to carry on incomplete thoughts.
This style of establishing closure to each work day lowers stress and gives you a feeling of being in control of your time and your work. By spending a few minutes reflecting and planning at the end of every day, your productivity will increase while you will also have a clearer mind.
Reflection On What You Accomplished
Using your day-end review as a starting point, reflect upon your accomplishments of the day. If you know exactly what priority task you have, it will eliminate any uncertainty and will give you an opportunity to have a more productive start.
Keeping your plan as simple as possible is of utmost importance, as tackling too many projects will add unnecessary stress and will take away from your total productivity. Making progress requires consistency of doing a generally small activity over a long period of time.
- Supportive habits may include implementing a robust morning routine.
- Reducing distractions improves focus.
- Maintaining your body in optimal health supports productivity.
