Ways We Sabotage Our Brain Power
At the end of my day lately, my brain has fizzled and cannot form proper sentences or finish projects. I am so appreciative for all the things I’ve included into my schedule and calendar – each and every single project I am passionate about. But, that doesn’t prevent my embarrassment when on Friday at the last meeting I stared blankly at my client who was asking simple questions. While keeping your purpose front and center can provide drive, our brains have ways of telling us when they aren’t on board to “hustle hard 24/7.”
Considering I know that I won’t be stopping my projects any time soon, I am taking this week to refresh my schedule to boost my brain power and give it care it deserves. Here are five common ways we (and by that I mean I) sabotage our brain power.
Not Taking Breaks
While the brain is an organ, they also function like a muscle. Take the research on decision-making and willpower, we have limited quantities of brain energy that begins the day full but slowly loses endurance throughout the day. Treat your brain like a muscle! Instead of holding the weight of working 8 hours straight, set up reps and rest periods throughout your day to optimize brain energy. I like to use the Pomodoro technique by focusing for 40 minutes of work with 5 minutes of rest. Rest in this case meaning getting away from my computer and doing something active - usually chores around the apartment.
Overscheduling
This is one of my biggest challenges. I somehow believe that I can check eight things off my to-do list each day. When in reality, experts say that we have no more than four hours of creative brain power each day. Many factors contribute to my overscheduling, but the biggest ones are not saying no and setting impossible deadlines. Boundaries are a beautiful thing and work best when I make friends with my calendar. One of best techniques I’ve used is to work backwards from the deadline. Set your deadline and then create a task list of what it will take to hit it. Then schedule those tasks into your calendar leading up to the deadline, whether that means you devote eight hours over two full days or one hour over eight days. Do this before you take another project deadline!
Multitasking
Let’s debunk this myth. Nobody and I mean nobody is good at multitasking. Sure, I know some say that women are better than men at this, but I’d argue that historically as the caregivers, cooks, cleaners, and planners we’ve been bestowed this “honor,” instead of being talented in it. Multi-tasking depletes your mental energy faster than if you monotask, focusing on only one thing at a time. On average, it takes 23 minutes to get refocused each time you are distracted. No wonder that blog post took 3 hours to write while you watched your favorite TV show. Instead, create zones of focus in your day where you turn off all notifications, which can be easily done by flipping the “Do Not Disturb on your phone and computer, and informing your colleagues you aren’t free for a few hours.
Staying Sedentary
Desk work is detrimental to our health, brain and body. As humans, our bodies have much more potential outside of typing 90 words per minute and delivering the prettiest data reports. With quarantine and the popularity of virtual meetings, our sitting endurance is only going to get higher, but here’s why you should make an active decision to get moving. Just 5-20 minutes of heart-pumping activity can improve your same-day mental skills like creative thinking, enhanced memory, and reasoning. Who wouldn’t want to have that advantage when you’re under deadline? While six-pack abs are nice, a high performance brain through regular activity can in theory help make your more money, clients and hit my business goals. This again is where the Pomodoro technique comes in handy. During those five minute breaks, get up! A quick workout of ten squats, pushups and sit-ups each can make a big difference!
Eat for your brain power
The way you eat and drink affects your brainpower. If you want to argue against that, then please tell me how you’ve never experienced a sugar crash, a caffeine high, or the urge for a post-lunch nap. For access to all that your mental capabilities, keep your glycemic load low. Now I love a cookie as much as the next person, but dessert for breakfast is a recipe for a hard day of work. Have your nutrition work with your brain by reducing processed foods, high sugar beverages and keeping a colorful plate – at least during work hours.
All of these techniques together spell out a highly productive, efficient, and decisive week. Of course, it is easier said than done, but I know following even two of these for one week makes a difference for me and it will for you too!
Never tried the pomodoro effect and still haven’t planned your content for the month? Let’s do it together! Join my next Content Planning Sprint!