These days, there are so many things to focus on that it’s easy to get mentally cluttered and distracted. According to a study by Gloria Mark, Professor from the University of California, people switch between activities at work on average of every three minutes and five seconds. The first step for reaching better productivity is to organize your mind.
Here are the 6 Rules for tapping your innate organizational skills from “Organize Your Mind, Organize Your Life: Train Your Brain to Get More Done in Less Time“.
Rule # 1: Tame Your Frenzy
Gain control of your emotions. Before you can grab ahold of your mind, you need to get a handle on everything going on inside. If you’re irritated, frustrated or stressed, it’s much harder to be thoughtful and calm. Exercise, meditation, and good sleep are the key weapons for gaining control.
Rule #2: Sustain Attention
Maintain your focus and fight the urge to check up social media. Keeping focus takes skill and discipline, so taking small steps will help you gain control. Identify one task, set the goal, and set your timer for 20 to 30 minutes while you work. Then take a break. Moving forward, try to build your time until you can work undistracted as long as needed.
Rule #3 Apply The Brakes
When distractions arise, take a second to stop and breathe. Consider if the matter is urgent enough to trump what you’re already doing. This will help your brain develop a habit of focus and follow through. After all, your brain works best when you are focusing on one thing at a time.
Rule #4: Access Your Working Memory
Accessing your short term memory and working through the various elements in your mind will help clear the mental clutter. It will help you problem-solve, create new ideas and insights, and lead you to see new patterns/processes that can help you gain strategic perspectives.
Rule #5: Shift Sets
Now it’s time to move on to the next task. Move your undivided attention to the next thing on your list. If you need to take a break, focus your mind on something relaxing, but stay undivided. This skill is called “set-shifting” and gets better as your practice. Another term for this skill is cognitive ability or fliexibility.
Rule #6: Connect The Dots
At this point you’ve learned how to go through the steps to take back control. Distractions are no longer a showstopper, and your memory is ready for action. Moving from task to task is no longer a problem, and taking breaks have helped keep you on track. It’s important to see these steps working together to help you change the way you look at your life. When you are more productive, you’ll end up with better work AND more time left over to do the things you enjoy. What a deal!
Look back at your accomplishments and reward yourself!
Organize Your Mind, Organize Your Life:Train Your Brain to Get More Done in Less Time
[photo credit: shutterstock]
The post Mental Makeover: Organize Your Mind appeared first on Well Dressed.