Between dealing with chatty co-workers, the constant ping of new emails and the ringing of the telephone, sometimes it can be impossible to concentrate at work. With all of these distractions our productivity suffers.
Josh Davis is here to help. The director of research and lead professor at the NeuroLeadership Institute and author of Two Awesome Hours: Science-Based Strategies to Harness Your Best Time and Get Your Most Important Work Done, which will be released on May 5, 2015, provides seven strategies for maximizing your productivity during the day.
“Each of these things allows us to give our brains what we need and makes it possible to make connections that wouldn’t occur otherwise,” said Davis. “It matters to carve out a small amount of time for these things, especially when things are hectic, so that we can manage all of the demands coming at us.”
1) Identify what distracts you most. “Understanding just how distracting certain things can be is important,” said Davis. “It is not a failing if we find ourselves distracted by other people — it means that your brain is working quite well. But we can recognize what distracts us so then we can better regulate them in our world. Other than simply avoiding distractions, we can prepare ourselves ahead of time to be more resilient to these things.”
2) Take time away. “Really consider how you can give yourself some time each day when you are not exposed to your colleagues,” explained Davis. “Take time when you actually close the door, you don’t answer the phone or look at Facebook. Time when there is no talking in the background. Actually giving yourself that freedom for a little bit of time can go a really long way.”
3) Get enough sleep. “A number of things happen while we sleep that we can’t get by without,” added Davis. “Often times we need to be learning new things on our job, and without sleep, we are much less likely to remember them because it takes time for neuro changes to occur. One of the ways I like to talk about memory is we don’t store memories, we grow them so it is something that takes time and part of that process happens while we sleep.”
4) Be mindful. “Let your mind explore the present surroundings,” he said. “Practice mindfulness and meditation. Take time to just be aware of what is happening. That is a very different type of mental activity.”
5) Regulate blood sugar. “Most people are fresher when they are not very hungry and when they are not too full, having had a little something, but not over-doing it. Stable blood sugar levels are very important.”
6) Take a real break. “There are breaks where we stop one task but still are trying to use the same intense focus, so we are not really getting a break,” explained Davis. “After a real break we tend to be fresher. We have a term that I really like called bio-breaks. Calling them that doesn’t change what they are, but it allows us to be more comfortable taking more frequent breaks because it reminds us that we are honoring our biological nature. By taking those we are more present when we come back.”
7) Get moderate exercise. “When I say moderate I actually specifically do mean to carve it out from vigorous or very mild exercise,” said Davis “Moderate exercise would be something where you are getting up for a daily brisk walk for 40 minutes or so. Getting moderate exercise seems to decrease anxiety and increase positive mood. It seems to have the effect of helping people to think clearly and seems to make people more resilient to stressors so it is easier to let things pass by without interrupting as much.
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Emily Harbourne is the former assistant editor of Club Solutions Magazine.
