To improve your productivity this year, implement these 5 resolutions.
1. Take a break every 90 minutes.
Our brains can only perform at their peak for an hour and a half or so. To get your concentration back you need to remember to take breaks. Ten minutes should be enough time to recoup your energy and get back to work with maximum efficiency. Professional truck drivers know they need to take breaks every hour and a half to minimize the risk of accidents. The same should be true for knowledge-based work. By taking a break, you can minimize errors and make sure your brain is working at its best. Take time to save time!
2. Eat plenty of carbohydrates
A meal provides 20% of the daily energy needed by the brain to function. To remain effective throughout the day, carbohydrates are needed. Pasta, bread, pulses and cereals provide you with the necessary dose of carbs. Also it’s really important to make sure you have a balanced diet. The vitamins in an apple are more beneficial than the stimulants in coffee. As well as giving you more energy vitamins can even improve your memory.
3. Keep a tidy desk to free your mind
Keeping a clear workspace can have a real impact on your efficiency. When everything is tidy it is much easier to retrieve information. A messy desk can weigh on the mind and negatively impact your motivation. Take the time to clean your desk so you don’t get overtaken by events. Why not tidy your desk while having the ten minute break we recommended in our first tip!
4. Channel your wandering thoughts
If your mind has a tendency to wander, here’s a great tip to help you constrain your errant thoughts. Because of the way our ideas associate, it only takes a few seconds for our minds to go from a colleague’s email to our summer vacation. To guard against this damaging habit why not use a piece of paper to write down stray thoughts. You can put your ideas aside while being sure not to forget them.
Wimi Tip : synchronize your notes in Wimi by integrating Evernote!
5. Get rid of distractions
We get distracted when something interferes with our concentration so get rid of the negative stimuli that are such a dangerous distraction. By putting your phone on silent you can let your phone work for you, rather than letting it enslave you. Chose a convenient lull in your work to check your phone and then ignore it until the next appropriate moment. The same goes for all means of communication: emails, Skype, Facebook. Stopping automatic notifications from these tools can allow you to work more efficiently without interruption. By reserving a particular time to respond to your messages you can actually improve the quality of your communication because it will be getting your full attention. Take control of your conversations and you’ll increase their quality as well as making sure your productivity doesn’t suffer from distractions.
