FOCUS! How can you increase your mental energy and productivity?
Allow me to ask you this one question:
How’s your mental energy?
Your mental energy is your brain’s ability to keep running and working based on how much adenosine triphosphate (ATP) your mitochondria produces.
Just a brief Biology background, the ATP is the molecule that your cells use for fuel. So, if you train your brain to make more ATP, it will produce more energy, which makes you feel an amazing boost to your productivity and mental clarity.
But can you really train your brain to produce ATP?
Well, you can’t directly command your brain to make a lot of ATP to be used for fuel. However, there are several things that you can do to boost your mental energy.
Interested in these hacks?
Let’s dive deeper into them one by one!
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Keep on learning.
According to Brett Wingeier, Ph.D., co-founder of Halo Sport, the human brain loves to learn continuously.
In his words,
“What’s happening under the hood is your brain cells are firing, and they’re constantly forming stronger and weaker connections that help them work together in exactly the right networks for exactly the right output. And what do we mean by output? That could mean the perfect backhand. That could mean the perfect Ping-Pong overhead spin shot, or it could mean learning a language. It’s all about your brain optimizing itself to get the job done.”
So, if you want to keep your brain strong and healthy, find something you’re interested in!
Whether that’s a skill, language, instrument, art, etc., spending some time practicing and improving that every day will do wonders for you.
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Make sure your schedule matches with your internal body clock.
You might have that specific part of the day when you feel unproductive, sleepy, etc.
For some, that may be in the early morning while for others, that may be after lunch or late at night.
Here’s the thing: Our bodies are uniquely different from one another. This means each of us has our own natural rhythm or body clock.
So, you have to structure your day accordingly so you work during your most energetic times and rest during times when you’re less productive.
For example: If you feel most focused between 6AM and 10AM and you want to relax during the afternoon, then plan to do all your major and most intense tasks or work projects first thing in the morning.
Follow your body’s natural rhythm instead of fighting against it. This will help you become more efficient with your mental energy.
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Minimize decision fatigue.
One of the ways to reduce decision fatigue is to create as many routines as you can.
For instance: Wake up, make your bed, brush your teeth, have coffee, exercise, check your emails, then start working.
Follow this same routine every day until it becomes automatically part of your system.
Not thinking too much about what you have to do regularly each day will help free up space in your brain so you can focus your mental energy on more important tasks.
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Eat food that is rich in fat and polyphenols.
A high-fat, low-carb diet helps keep your blood sugar level stable and low so you can experience consistent energy throughout your day.
Do away with carbs and sugar as much as you can as these foods cause energy-sapping brain inflammation, leaving you feeling sleepy and unable to focus.
Aside from a high-fat, low-carb diet, make sure you take in plenty of polyphenols, too!
These are awesome anti-inflammatory compounds that you can find in coffee, tea, chocolate, and colorful vegetables and fruits.
Other than decreasing brain inflammation, polyphenols also protect your brain from damaging stress.
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Exercise.
Working out or exercising is an amazing factor for your brain’s energy production.
Why?
It’s because pushing yourself physically makes you mentally fit, too!
Staying physically active creates brand new neural mitochondria and makes your existing mitochondria more efficient at producing energy.
… and the more mitochondria is produced, more ATP is produced for brain fuel also!
While the concept of mental energy can seem or sound abstract, the truth is it’s actually rooted in biology.
So, if you want to learn how to keep your focus, especially during work, then give these guides a try for optimum mental energy, enhanced focus, and higher productivity.
Hope you’ve found this week’s insights interesting and helpful.
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Coffee is one of the superfood complements your brain needs.
Learn more about coffee and its health benefits on next week’s Everson’s High-P Fridays!
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