Reduce Brain Fog and Improve Clear Thinking | E-Neighborhood Advisor

 

Ever get that cloudy-headed feeling? Have difficulty concentrating or just can’t find the word you’re looking for? In Pocket magazine, Thomas Oppong suggests giving up these things to promote mental clarity. 1. Give Up Clutter Mess creates stress. There’s a strong link between your physical space and your mental space. Clutter is bad for your mind and health. It can create long-term, low-level anxiety. We are all looking for ways to create more meaningful lives with less to distract us. Get rid of clutter at your office, on your desk, in your room, and you will send a clear message of calm directly to your brain. Start decluttering today in small, focused bursts. You’re not going to clean up your entire space in a day, so start small to make it a daily habit that sticks. Set yourself up for success by making a plan and targeting specific areas you’re going to declutter, clean up, and organize over a prolonged period of time. 2. Multi-Tasking Doesn’t Work The ability to multi-task is a false badge of honor. Task switching has a severe cost. Your concentration suffers when you multitask. It compromises how much actual time you spend doing productive work, because you’re continually unloading and reloading the hippocampus/short-term memory. Research shows that task switching actually burns more calories and fatigues your brain – reducing your overall capacity for productive thought and work. Commit to completing one task at a time. Remove potential distractions (like silencing your mobile, turning off email alerts) before you start deep work to avoid the temptation to switch between tasks. 3. Use the 3-to-1 Method Narrow down your most important tasks to 3, and then give one task your undivided attention for a period of time. Allow yourself to rotate between the three, giving yourself a good balance of singular focus and variety. 4. Don’t Sit Still Sitting still all day, every day, is dangerous. Love it or hate it, physical activity can have potent effects on your brain and mood. The brain is often described as being “like a muscle”. Its needs to be exercised for better performance. Research shows that moving your body can improve your cognitive function. 30–45 minutes of brisk walking, three times a week, can help fend off the mental wear and tear. What you do with your body impinges on your mental faculties. Find something you enjoy, then get up and do it. And most importantly, make it a habit. 5. Stop Consuming Media and Start Creating Instead It’s extremely easy to consume content. You are passive. Even relaxed. But for each piece of unlimited content you consume, it stops a piece of content you could have created. Limit your mass media consumption. Embrace the creation habit. Start paying attention to the noise that you let seep into your eyes and ears. Ask, “Is this benefitting my life in any way?” “Does all this information make me more prone to act? Does it really make me more efficient? Does it move me forward in any significant way?” Let creation determine consumption. Allow curiosity to lead you to discover and pursue something you deeply care about. Make time to create something unique. The point is to get lost in awe and wonder like you did when you were a child. When you achieve that feeling from a certain activity, keep doing it! Share your authentic self with the rest of us. Your Flooring Consultant, Matt Capell Email: sales@capellinteriors.com Phone (208) 288-0151 Fax (208) 917-6160 P.S. Here's a joke for you! You know why you never see elephants hiding up in trees? Because they’re really good at it.