Individually, these habits may seem insignificant, but in total they strongly influence how we cope with tasks. And most of them come down to a choice between immediate pleasure and long-term benefits. If you don't want your productivity to suffer, it's time to stop doing the following.
It takes us an average of 15 minutes to focus and fully immerse ourselves in something. If we take time off from work to read the news, log in to social networks or watch videos, we will have to tune in again for 15 minutes. The more often we get so distracted, the more productivity suffers.
Many people fall into a stupor when they need to start something, believing that their idea or work does not reach the ideal. But how can you create something if you never start and don't give your ideas the opportunity to take shape? The need to avoid perfectionism was perfectly formulated by the writer Jody Picault: "A poorly written page can be edited, an empty one cannot."
Meetings consume a lot of working time, so if possible, try to give them up. If something really important is being discussed, warn everyone in advance that you will stick to the scheduled schedule. When there is a clear time limit, it is easier for everyone to focus.
Don't let email distract you all the time. Check your mailbox at the same specific time, and set up notifications for emails from the most important customers. You can also set up an answering machine that will tell you at what time you can check your mail and reply to an email.
Sleep is divided into several cycles, the last of which prepares us to be awake and active after waking up. That's why we sometimes wake up before the alarm clock.
But if we decide to take a nap and fall asleep again, we lose this feeling of cheerfulness and wake up tired and inhibited. This condition can last for several hours. So no matter how sleepy you feel after the alarm goes off, force yourself to get out of bed if you want the morning to be productive.
Researchers from Stanford University have found that people who take on several tasks at the same time have a harder time concentrating or remembering something compared to those who are engaged in only one task.
When we try to do two things at the same time, the brain simply cannot do both of them equally well. Even those who were sure that multitasking helps them cope with things faster, lagged behind according to the results of the test E. Ophir, C. Nass, A. D. Wagner. Cognitive control in media multitaskers / PNAS from those who did things consistently.
We have a limited amount of psychic energy. When we spend it, our decision-making ability and productivity decrease dramatically. This phenomenon is called decision fatigue.
By postponing difficult tasks that scare you until the evening, you leave them at the moment when you have the least strength to cope with them. So try to finish them in the morning while your brain is still fresh and awake.
Blue light affects Blue light has a dark side / Harvard Health Publishing on sleep quality and mood. Getting on the retina of the eye, it slows down the production of the hormone melatonin, which causes sleep, and helps to feel more cheerful. In the morning, sunlight has a high content of such blue light, and in the afternoon it becomes less. The body produces melatonin again, and we begin to feel sleepy.
In the evening, the brain is especially sensitive to blue light. And most of the devices we use — laptops, tablets, smartphones — just emit it. As a result, we can't sleep for a long time, and the quality of sleep suffers. So try not to use electronic devices before going to bed.
Sweets, soda and other products with sugar give a feeling of cheerfulness for about 20 minutes. But if you eat oatmeal, brown rice or something else with complex carbohydrates, energy will be released slowly, then we will stay active longer.
