Ways to Increase Your Energy, Focus, and Productivity
Try to “unite with nature” regularly
Time spent in nature may turn out to be what the doctor prescribed and in addition to increasing the indicators of the duration of concentration of attention and ability to focus.
According to research, the contemplation of nature, including diverse vegetation, can benefit the process of development of the children’s brain.
It turned out that children aged 4–5 to 7 years old, who grew up in more “green” areas, showed better results in tests for the level of attention. The experimental results confirm the importance of increasing the number of green spaces in cities to maintain the health and mental development of children.
The beneficial effect of flora on concentration does not stop as it grows older. Scientists say: if a student or employee periodically looks at the plants standing in the room, then his concentration level may increase.
Students were given a task requiring monotonous work. In the middle of the assignment, they were given a 40-second break, during which they could either look at the bare cement roof, or at the flowering conservatory on the roof of a neighboring building. In the second half of the experiment, students who looked at the winter garden made fewer mistakes and showed a higher level of concentration than their classmates, who had an empty roof in front of their eyes.
Another study by TheGuardian found that planting in an empty office increases employee productivity by 15%. The presence of plants contributed to increased satisfaction with working conditions, improved air quality, and increased concentration.
Scientists clarify that plants can cause similar effects since a greener workspace increases the employee’s cognitive, emotional, and physical involvement in the work.
If you can’t afford the luxury of setting up a winter garden on the roof of a neighboring building or planting an office with the eyeballs, then even a little outdoor time or a daily lunch break in the park can significantly improve your concentration.
Take a break
If you are a happy owner of excellent short-term memory, then most likely you can easily ignore everything that is not related to work and focus on the tasks you are facing. However, for others, the constant presence of distractions can be a serious test.
Available evidence suggests that a temporary waiver of the following may help you stay focused.
Try a break from email, alerts, and social networks to restore concentration.
Control the time spent parsing emails — both business and personal — and sorting emails. This method, among other strategies, can help you improve your productivity metrics.
The study found that constantly checking e-mail people are twice as likely to switch between tabs and from this they experience stress, which causes a rapid heartbeat. When their ability to check mail was restricted for 5 days, their heart rate soon returned to normal.
Scientists came to the conclusion that a temporary rejection of e-mail helps to significantly reduce stress and increase concentration.
Alerts
Each time a signal, vibration, or a popular melody notifies you of a new message or an incoming call, the notification acts as a factor that impedes focusing on work. Actually, it distracts no less than using the phone to make calls or send messages. A team of scientists found that although alerts take up a very short time span, they provoke non-work-related thinking, which negatively affects employee productivity.
Researchers explain that performance is at risk because of a person’s limited ability to pay attention, especially when it needs to be distributed between several tasks. They also emphasized that the fact that you realized that you missed a message or call can have the same effect.
If you need to focus, it may be worth turning off your mobile phone or putting it into silent mode — or putting it somewhere you can’t see the screen from.
Social networks
The temptation to verify personal accounts is often insurmountable, however, researchers note that using social networks at work can lead to negative consequences.
About 2.8 billion people in the world use social networks; many of them do this during working hours, which, as it turned out, negatively affects not only the productivity and concentration of the employee but also the well-being of the organization.
Resisting the urge to check your page when you need to focus on work tasks can improve your concentration and productivity.
Breaks
Other studies have focused on how best to organize short breaks to restore energy, motivation, and concentration. Scientists recommend the following types:
- morning breaks to restore concentration;
- more effective breaks during which you will do something that you like (breaks will bring more peace of mind, contribute to a faster recovery and help you get back to work and focus on tasks);
- Short frequent breaks to replenish energy faster.
If you take short breaks and do what you love, you will soon notice an improvement in your health, increased job satisfaction, and an influx of energy, motivation, and concentration. Employees also noted that they were less likely to suffer from headaches, eye strain, and lower back pain.
Rethink your workspace
The atmosphere plays a significant role in our ability to concentrate on work. It is known that getting rid of trash at home or putting things in order on the desk, we begin to feel more collected, free, and able to think in clearer categories.
Take care of yourself
The amount of physical activity, quality of food, and weight can affect your productivity and concentration. For example, if you skip breakfast, most likely, by dinner due to hunger cramps, you will no longer be able to devote all your energy to the work process. Taking care of your health, physical activity, and eating foods that increase concentration can help you achieve higher levels of effectiveness.
If you tried all of the above methods and have not experienced any improvement, make yourself a large mug of coffee. It is believed that caffeine affects the areas of the brain that are responsible for the perception of external signals and body control, and also has a beneficial effect on concentration and attention.
