4 ways to get your brain to work at full steam
Productivity / / December 23, 2019
Maria Konnikova - author of the bestseller "How to learn to think like Sherlock Holmes"As well as numerous articles on psychology for the magazine The New Yorker - tells us why need more sleep, spend less time on the internet and stop sprayed on several cases at the same time.
Of course, you're a busy man. Try to keep afloat his life, plus to this - and more work. Think about whether you helps your smartphone to cope with the tasks? A 10-15 tabs in the browser? A stream of letters from email, which will hear and one by one? And at the end of the day you are trying to sleep and rest well-deserved five hours knowing that this is not enough. But you do not have time for more.
If in the previous paragraph you recognize yourself, then Mary Konnikova has something to offer you, stop, take a step back and realize how costly you your habits. Doctor of Psychology, author of Psychology The New Yorker magazine column knows what he is talking about.
Maria KonnikovaI know that fighting on the losing side. But I hope that at least someone will hear my words that giperproduktivnost makes us much less productive.
Based on Mary Konnikova materials, I offer you four ways to improve your lifestyle and make the brain work.
Get enough sleep
Until now, until the end and has not been studied sleep deprivation. But science knows that the main function of sleep is to remove the brain biochemical waste products that appear as a result of its activity. This means that lack of sleep can cause the accumulation of harmful proteins beta-amyloidBeta-amyloidWhich can lead to various diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease.
How to get rid of the habit of enough sleep? We'll have to change your lifestyle, and it's not easy. It is not enough just to think: "I can not sleep now, but will do it on the weekend." It will not work. Recover after a sleepless night is easy, but a chronic lack of sleep requires great effort.
How long should sleep? adult must from 7 to 9 hours of sleep.
Enough to eat garbage online
You must have been wondering how the Internet affects our brains? It does not make us dependent chain, turning into a kind of drug? Status in Facebook, email, Twitter, an interesting article, and so a vicious circle. Maria Konnikova says that the main problem of Internet users is scattered attention. We constantly have to switch from one action to another, and it does not focus on the important things.
How to get rid of it? Set for a set of rules: a half-hour email, Twitter for half an hour and so on. You can do it yourself, but if you know that willpower is not enough, use the auxiliary means.
Test your multitasking
Internet garbage - it's just part of one big problem - multitasking. Modern culture encourages it and even compels us to do several things at once (for our benefit). But once you've seen employers who needed someone with excellent multi-tasking? Unlikely. Therefore, the benefits of multifunctionality are vague and are only in our heads. The main thing that you need to reach - it full concentration on one action. In this case, even if the job is incredibly boring, you will still feel a lot happier.
How to get rid of multi-tasking? To begin, try to develop the habit of notice for themselves that are doing several things at once. And, as is the case with the Internet, discipline yourself to solve problems one by one.
Train your attentiveness
The most memorable feature of Sherlock Holmes - it's his incredible care. The ability to notice details that are beyond the others. And, as Maria says Konnikova based on how Holmes reveals crime is inaction. Often it is just sitting in a chair and not doing anything. Eyes closed and his body still, unless he plays the violin. That is what makes Holmes to be focused and attentive to all details.
How do you start to think like Sherlock Holmes? According to Mary Konnikova, all you need to do - is to begin to imitate the detective. Highlight 10-15 minutes each day to sit down and do nothing. Concentrate on your own breath, in every inhalation and exhalation. This exercise will help you develop your attention. Imagine that train muscle and every occupation, it becomes more and more.
Do not think that to make all of this is difficult or impossible. Start with the small habits and go to global changes. Lack of sleep, multitasking and garbage on the Internet make us less productive, creative and happy. Try to use yourself to the fullest both on the mental and physical levels.
see also
- 80 to life hacking productivity
- How to pump the brain: exercise for the development of memory, attention and thinking
- 20 habits that are killing our productivity