Five tips to boost productivity when your brain is lagging

June 20 marks World Productivity Day, focused on making the most of our time, improving work-life balance, and working smarter – not harder.

It's essentially a reminder to celebrate productivity and encourage people to reflect on how they're managing tasks, their efficiency and how to overcome new objectives.

That said, it's completely normal for our brains to lag at times, but it can also be difficult to break out of that rut.

Intelligent Change, famed for its science-backed products that forge positive habits swiftly, has offered a helping hand to put procrastination at bay and get back on track.

Back to Basics: Get Enough Sleep

Psychologist Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs posits that our basic physiological requirements such as food, water, and sleep must be met before we can address higher-level needs like love, relationships, or self-actualization.

Therefore, before considering how to stay focused and productive, ensure you're getting sufficient sleep. If you consistently sleep less than six hours per night, you're likely depriving your brain of essential rest.

Eliminate Distractions

Assess your environment for potential distractions. How many items around you might divert your attention and hinder your focus? A major culprit could be your phone. Every WhatsApp ding or Instagram pop-up steals your attention and, according to research from Michael Posner at the University of Oregon, regaining focus after an interruption takes an average of 23 minutes.

Use a Planner

Many of us start the day with good intentions but often end up with a long, muddled list of tasks in our minds, leading to feelings of indecision and being overwhelmed.

The Intelligent Change Productivity Planner is designed to help you structure your to-do list in a way that enables you to effectively prioritise the most important tasks.

Additionally, the planner helps you to break down and categorise your tasks so that it doesn’t feel like one long, overwhelming list.

Intelligent Change

Store Your Information Elsewhere

Have you ever found yourself in the supermarket with an empty basket, staring blankly at the shelves and wondering why you're there?

As study after study has shown, this is perfectly normal - our memory is fallible. To boost productivity, consider using external tools like a journal or notes app on your phone to keep track of tasks, freeing up mental space for other activities.

Practice Mindfulness

Often our brain lags when it feels cluttered. Finding focus is difficult when you have a million thoughts swirling around your mind at once.

Starting your day with mindfulness practices, such as using the Five Minute Journal or Affirmation Cards, can help clear your mind. And what’s more, developing the habit of being present and in the moment, as both these tools do, goes hand-in-hand with increased focus and productivity.

Intelligent Change

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