5 ways to improve your productivity and wellbeing
We strive to be productive in our professional lives, through reaching goals and targets, crossing off our to-dos and getting things done on time. To bring our best selves to our work, we must prioritise our physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing which, in turn, will boost our productivity.
Here are 5 ways to improve your productivity and wellbeing:
1.Feed your brain
Eating a healthy, nutritious, well-balanced diet directly impacts our brain and therefore our focus and productivity.
Here are 10 foods that help us to be more productive:
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
- Avocado
- Spinach
- Kale
- Almonds
- Sunflower seeds
- Whole grains
- Greek yogurt
- Tuna
2.Stay hydrated
Staying well-hydrated improves blood flow and oxygen to the brain, improves focus, concentration, memory and boosts our reaction time and thinking speed upwards of 15% to 30%.
Keeping a bottle of water at our desks, in our bags and in various places around our homes or office will encourage us to stay hydrated throughout the day.
3.Get moving
Movement enhances our memory, ability to process information and helps boost focus and creativity.
Walking away from our computers and moving our bodies multiple times a day will make a big difference. Setting an alarm or reminder can ensure we get moving.
Just a short workout increases the oxygen to the brain, stimulates the production of hormones that encourage cell growth, and decreases stress hormones.
Walking before the start of the working day helps to set us up for the morning. Exercising during lunchtime or after work are good de-stressors and help us to switch off and re-energize.
4.Sleep and rest
When we lack quantity and quality of sleep, our emotions become unstable, our learning is impaired, our cardiovascular system is compromised and our hormones become imbalanced. These impact our productivity, performance and wellbeing.
A consistent winding-down bedtime routine (without the use of screens) and going to bed at a similar time each night are recommended.
It is also important to schedule time to rest. It is easy to move from task to task, crossing off our to-dos and trying to get everything done. Reframe rest as time to energize ourselves.
5.Manage stress
Research shows that 75% of British adults in employment commonly experience work-related stress, while 12.8m working days in the UK are lost due to stress each year. Increased stress leads to reduced productivity.
Since it is impossible to completely eliminate stress from our daily lives, we must instead find ways of coping with it and bring moments of calm into our day.
This can be through meditation, mindfulness, yoga, hobbies, reading, exercise, walking in nature, spending time with loved ones or anything that helps us to relax and unwind.
Our productivity impacts our wellbeing and our wellbeing impacts our productivity. Productivity will increase when employees or business owners are happy, healthy and supported in a healthy work environment or network. Prioritising and promoting wellbeing can help prevent stress and create positive working environments where individuals and organisations can thrive.
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Time management and productivity
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