Monday 1 December 2014

These 7 tips can help you back off and be even more productive.

I chose this photo from my collection because however you are travelling along a canal
you have to go at your optimum pace for your purpose. M'reen

These 7 tips can help you back off and be even more productive.
Bruna Martinuzzi

If your brain is always working overtime to make it through your never-ending to-do list,
it may be time to give it a rest.  

Do you ever feel overwhelmed just thinking about all you have to do?
Do you find yourself snapping at others who seem to be too laid back?
Have you given up too many things that you used to enjoy because you're too focused on work?
You may be a victim of mental fatigue.

Mental fatigue is the result of brain over-activity. It can happen when you expend too much mental effort on a project or task. You may pride yourself on your laser-focusing ability, spending long hours on a task, day in and day out. But every strength, taken to the extreme, becomes a liability.
Your overdrive eventually catches up with you, and you deplete your mental gas tank.
The result is mental fatigue.

Research shows that mental fatigue results in an inability to concentrate
and an increase in simple mistakes.
Unchecked, mental fatigue leads to feeling stressed, irritated that you can't keep up
and even depressed. What's more, being in a state of mental fatigue not only affects your well-being, it also spills over into your interactions with family and others you associate with.
It's draining for them to be around someone who is continuously mentally exhausted. 

If you think you may be mentally fatigued, here are seven tips to help you prevent and combat it.

1. Stop Low-Yield Activities
Be ruthless about how you spend your time. Instead of mindlessly moving from one task to the next, focus on activities that grow your business. Stop burning away hours reading Facebook updates
or answering useless emails. Instead, keep those activities for a scheduled, timed break,
then move away to something more worthwhile. Don't meet with acquaintances who want to get together for coffee—these are often people who have time to waste and want to waste it with you. 

Use the time you've saved to learn new things, and pursue activities that increase your well-being and the quality of your life. Focus on strengthening your bonds with family, friends and associates. Do what fuels your mind and fills your heart. If you rescue wasted time consistently
over the course of a year, you'll be richer for it and will feel more energized.

2. Use the Timebox Technique
Timebox is a term that originated in the software development industry.
It's defined as a period of time during which a task must be accomplished.
Entrepreneurs like Steve Pavlina use timeboxing as a way to manage work projects.
Because timeboxing forces you to limit the time you allot to certain tasks that run the risk
of taking far more time than they're worth, it counteracts any perfectionist approaches
to the wrong tasks and ensures that you do the best job you can within a set time frame.

3. Try Focus@Will
Focus@Will is a music service that's based on the latest research in neuroscience.
The selected music helps you focus, reduce distractions and retain information.
As the company behind this intersection of art and science explains,
most people can only concentrate for about 100 continuous minutes:
"The focus@will system makes it easier for you to get into the concentration flow, and then keeps you there. It works in the background by subtly soothing the part of your brain, the limbic system, 
that's always on the lookout for danger, food, sex or shiny things."

By staying focused, you can get more done in a shorter amount of time, so you can free up more time and reduce your chances of mental fatigue. Entrepreneur Sean Ogle described the program 
as "magic." You can try it out for free for 30 days and see what happens.

4. Be Kind to Your Eyes
Staring at a computer for long hours while you work causes eye fatigue, which can tire you out and negatively affect your ability to focus. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to avoid this. For example, every once in a while, look away from your computer screen and focus on distant objects or take a minute to stare out the window. Also, lower the brightness of your monitor—research shows that when you lower the brightness, the reduction in your ability to focus
drops by half and you feel less fatigued.

Check out "How to Combat Eye Fatigue Right Now" for other ideas.
If you have employees, also consider the computer workstations advice published
by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration.

5. Don Your Sneakers
Research reported in Science Daily reveals that a bout of exercise makes the brain more resistant
to fatigue. According to the study, "These findings could lead to the enhancement 
of athletic performance through reduced mental and physical fatigue."
What works for athletes can also work for you.

6. Learn to Do Nothing Once in a While
We're a nation of doers—continuously on the go, rushing from meeting to meeting,
project to project. Even when we're on vacation, a large number among us spends more time 
surfing the Internet rather than surfing the waves.
John Lennon once said, "Everybody seems to think I'm lazy. I don't mind, I think they're crazy. Running everywhere at such a speed, till they find there's no need.”
Planning for a little idleness in your week is a smart move if you're trying to refresh your spirit
—it's a powerful antidote to mental fatigue.

7. Reduce Your Sleep Debt
Sleep debt is the difference between the amount of sleep you should be getting 
and the amount you actually get. It's not uncommon for professionals to miss 
several hours of sleep for a few days in a row. This is a sure-fire way to invite mental fatigue.

Research shows, on average, Americans lose one hour of sleep each night—more than two full weeks of slumber every year. This has a negative impact on our health. As the research shows, you can't train yourself to be a "short sleeper." What's more, a study found that the more tired you get, the less tired you feel, which makes you think you're not shorting yourself.
It's time to earn back your lost sleep: Make it a practice to go to bed when you're tired
and give your body the rest it needs so you can stop mental fatigue in its tracks. 

"The energy of the mind is the essence of life," Aristotle said. Energy is everything. Mental fatigue saps us of our most precious life energy. These seven strategies will help you guard against this.

 https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/7-secrets-preventing-mental-fatigue/

Regarding No. 6, as a self employed person it is useful  to book an appointment for Mr Potter
for some pottering around time.
I recently went to a meeting of therapists and everyone there said that 
they needed to give or were recently giving more time and care to themselves.

Perhaps you’d like to check out my sister blogs:
www.ourinnerminds.blogspot.com              this takes advantage of the experience and expertise of others. 
www.turbochargedreading.blogspot.com     describes the steps to reading in the way your mind prefers.
www.happyartaccidents.blogspot.com        just for fun.

To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”


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