There’s a lot that the internet says about productivity, and a lot of it is nonsense. Your productivity is a complex representation of many aspects of your life. The following will explore a few things that can actually improve your focus and productivity.
Breathe Through Your Nose
This point might seem silly until you try it, but once you do, you’re going to be super impressed. When you breathe through your nose, your body gathers 30% more oxygen with each breath. Having adequate oxygen levels can improve your focus, mood, creativity, energy levels, memory, and concentration. It might take a few reminders to get into the habit of breathing through your nose, but it can have a considerable impact on your health and productivity across the months. If you cannot breathe through your nose and you don’t have a cold, you need to look into this. Humans aren’t supposed to just be congested. Congestion is a symptom that represents a health problem you’re ignoring. It might be that the air quality is bad in your office; it might be that you’re allergic to the perfume you wear regularly. It’s possible your room just needs a good clean because dander and dust have built up over the months.Write Things Down
When you think of something and decide that it’s not relevant to your current task but know it’s relevant to a future task, write it down. Holding ideas in the back of your mind draws focus away from the tasks you’re currently working on. Find a system that works for you. For some people, a sticky note pad by the computer is enough; others prefer to mark the thought down on the day they want to tackle it. You don’t need to spend a lot or gather a whole bunch of supplies to pull this off; a printable August 2022 calendar will work for some, and a set of index cards labeled: today, tomorrow, next week, and some other time will work. The notes app on your phone works, too, as long as you can avoid the temptation to start scrolling through your notifications.
Get Some Plants
Speaking of air quality, putting plants in your workspace can help your productivity. Plants breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen. As already established above, optimal oxygen levels can be a real boon to productivity. Plants also help clean the air of toxins, some of which contribute to fatigue as the more your body is dealing with while you’re trying to work, the harder it’s going to be to give your full attention to your current task.Understand Burnout
Quite often, people think they’re struggling with productivity, but what they’re actually dealing with is burnout. Burnout is the result of working too hard for too long without recharging your batteries. Most people understand this concept; they know they need to take breaks and rest. The actual problem is most people don’t understand what is restful. Anything that causes harm to your body doesn’t count as rest; this includes unhealthy snacks and stuff that involves fragranced products or lots of chemicals like face masks and bubble baths (organic, all-natural, non-toxic products are okay; candles are okay if they’re made from beeswax and contain only essential oils for scents). Anything with a screen is not restful since it’s impacting your dopamine levels artificially. Shopping is not restful as when you’re in a store, you’re being bombarded with advertisements trying to catch your attention, and your mind gets tired of filtering it all out. Reading books that you’ve selected because they’re going to help with your career or some other ongoing project doesn’t count as rest either. All of these things can be fun, pleasant, or entertaining, but that’s not the same thing as rest.Get Your Caffeine And Sugar Under Control
Sugar and caffeine are not bad things in and of themselves, but overdoing it with either of them is a recipe for lack of focus. Addiction is a sneaky thing; it can trick you incredibly well. Ask anyone who’s quit smoking; your mind will find reasons for your day to suck because it knows that if it does this well enough, it will be granted the substance it’s come to believe it needs to survive. If you drink coffee multiple times per week or regularly have sugary snacks (including simple grains like bread, pasta, muffins, bagels, or otherwise), you’re probably addicted to these substances. If your mind has noticed that making it hard for you to work results in you grabbing a donut, or if it makes you feel tired, you’ll grab another cup of coffee, or if it starts a disagreement with your partner, you’ll treat yourself to a bag of cookies to cheer yourself up, this is what it’s going to do. Far too often, people mislabel withdrawal symptoms as procrastination or productivity woes.The above tips should help you infuse your days with more productivity and focus. Ideally, you want to incorporate all of them, but starting with one at a time tends to have more positive results in the long term.
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