4 Unconventional Ways to Increase Productivity While Staying Sane During Your Work Day Try using these tips to give yourself a boost.
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No matter what industry you're in, whether you're going back into the office or continuing a work-from-home model, staying productive and sane can seem virtually impossible. I've heard many clients complain about being on fire some days and other days feeling like they're unable to focus and be productive.
Whichever category you fall into, try using these prompts to give yourself a boost. There will be an adjustment period, but I recommend devoting a full two weeks to the following steps to feel a real difference mentally, physically and emotionally.
1. Power your mind and creativity with food and supplements
What we eat defines how our brain and body optimally functions. Feeding our body high-quality protein and complex carbohydrates of brightly colored vegetables give not only the caloric intake we need but also the nutrients we need to fuel creativity, growth and productivity. This combination provides what we need to empower our health, our mindset and business growth.
Supplementing the proper diet with brain-specific productivity-enhancing nootropics is essential to ramp up productivity. There are three key areas for boosting brain productivity: memory, cognition and well-being. Each one has a few key supplements to help increase its influence. For memory, you can use Alpha GPC, Bacopa and Ginkgo Biloba. To increase your cognitive growth take Acetyl-L-Carnitine, to supercharge thought take Lion's Mane and phosphatidyl-serine and to boost understanding, increase the intake of Rhodiola Rosea (a potent adaptogen) and tyrosine. Finally, for mood and well-being, increase your intake of inositol and L-Theanine. All of these can be taken in combination with supplements that can help address each portion (memory, cognition and mood/well-being) without having to take handfuls each day.
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2. Exercise
Exercise is essential to getting us out of our heads. In men and women, testosterone is highest first thing in the morning. This is the time to do strength training to build muscle and increase the brain-body connection. High-intensity interval training and tabata-style workouts are excellent in boosting strength and aerobic capacity far above straight weight lifting and aerobic workouts. Short bouts of intense work followed by short rest periods increase strength and all work capacity, so keep it short and intense to boost your metabolism and creativity.
3. Gratitude and mindset
Practicing gratitude primes our mindset for success. A positive mindset equals growth, success and abundance. My father taught us at an early age two key mantras: TP and PMO. TP is "think positive" and PMO is "positive mental outlook". These two mantras have kept me moving forward throughout my life and business journeys. No matter how bad anything was at different times, saying these mantras have kept me "falling forward" in life and not taking the two steps back.
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4. Rest and recovery
Rest and recovery are imperative to having your brain and body function optimally. Sleep is the new super drug — all-natural and at no cost. With sleep, our body is optimized hormonally, neurologically and creatively. Lack of sleep is worse than smoking and sitting, and we know what these two do to the body. A full night sleep (roughly 8 hours) with getting deep sleep in the 1:30 a.m. - 2:00 a.m. hour range will greatly increase our ability to adapt, create and increase growth. Without proper sleep all of our systems begin to deplete, creating a weakened and illness-prone body.
Getting the appropriate rest is easy to track. Using tracking devices such as an Aura ring, Apple or Garmin watches, Fitbits or my favorite, a Whoop band. Most of these devices will track hours slept, phases of sleep, exercise and daily strain, heart rate variability (a marker that shows how adaptable you are along with being able to show if you are susceptible to getting sick) along with respiration, oxygen levels and blood glucose levels. In addition, you can share this data with your health coach or physician.
It takes on average about 30 days to form a habit, so if you're able to repeat the above steps for a month, you'll be in good shape.
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