focus – Hello Doctor

How to stay productive (even when working from home)

March 19th, 2020 by Content Editor

Just like any activity, concentration takes practice. If you want to be good at something, practice makes perfect!

It’s time to banish old habits and adopt new ones to stand a better chance of achieving your goals.

Here are a few science-backed tips and tricks to help you hone your concentration skills to learn and perform better.

1. Set goals

This should be a daily routine. Organise your day and divide it into goals, each with a clear timeline, purpose and intention. Keep a to-do list to ensure you stay focused and increase your productivity. Set reasonable daily targets. Write them down or use an app on your smartphone.

2. Prioritise

Take a moment and identify your most important task, then get it off your plate first thing. Not everything on your list is urgent.

3. Set deadlines and stick to them

Having a set deadline can be a great way to control procrastination, but research suggests that self-imposed deadlines don’t work very well for procrastinators. What’s more effective are hard deadlines that are evenly spaced out. Speak to your lecturer or tutor to help you with this.

4. Keep tasks manageable

To improve productivity, break big projects down into manageable chunks to allow you to focus on one area or one subject at a time. This way you’ll stay motivated and avoid distractions.

5. Train your brain

To fully activate the full power of your mind, you need to train your brain. Set aside a couple of hours every day where you can completely focus on one task without interruption. When you do this, you fully engage your brainpower making progress on critical tasks more likely.

6. Sort your time

Set aside some ‘focus time’ to minimise interruptions. Tell your friends that you won’t be available for anything during this time. Compartmentalising your time allows your brain to isolate a task, so you can completely focus on that one thing without constantly breaking your concentration for something else. Identify when and where you are able to focus best and then invest your time there.

7. Put away your cell phone

Simply by putting your phone away for periods of time, or at least turning off notifications, you’ll gain hours of improved productivity and focus.

8. Monotask

Multitasking isn’t for everyone, so why not giving monotasking a try. Look at your calendar at the beginning of each week and assign yourself a single, specific focus each day.

9. Be mindful

Practising mindfulness meditation has been shown to increase the ability of the brain to focus on a task while at the same time, enhancing learning and memory.

10. Know your body clock

We all have natural rhythms that influence our ability to focus and produce. The key is to match your highest priority work with your most productive hours of the day. Pay attention to your body clock. Most people tend to be most alert in the morning, with concentration dipping in the afternoon. Find out what works for you and stick to it.

References:

The link between brainwaves and your health

August 9th, 2019 by Content Editor

Your brainwaves are linked to your state of consciousness, and this can influence your mood, energy, sleep and general health. Whether you’re at rest or doing an all-consuming activity, your brain is always active. Brainwaves are produced when electrical pulses from your neurons within your brain communicate with each other.

Brainwaves could also be considered a continuous flow of your consciousness. The flow can be fast or slow, depending on what you’re doing and how you’re feeling. For example, if you’re tired or dreamy, your brainwaves will be slower. And if you’re alert, they’ll be faster.

The five kinds of brainwaves

Your brainwaves are grouped into five different categories. Each one is associated with specific tasks and mental states. The speed of brainwaves are measured in Hertz (cycles per second) and are either slow, moderate or fast.

Here are the different brainwaves in order of their frequency (highest to lowest):

Gamma waves

The brainwaves with the highest frequency at 34 to 42 waves per second are called gamma waves. You’re in a gamma state when you are hyper-focused, learning new information for example.. In this state, you also store memories and become more aware of yourself and your environment. Musicians often experience gamma brainwaves as sharp concentration is necessary for their field of work.

Beta waves

When your brain is active and engaged in mental activities, it’s in a beta state. The beta state means you’re probably alert, focused, trying to solve a problem or making a decision. For example, a teacher would all be in beta when they’re working. Anyone engaged in a conversation would also have beta brainwaves. The frequency of beta brainwaves ranges from 15 to 40 cycles per second.

Alpha waves

When you’re in an alpha state of mind, your brainwaves begin to slow down. For example, if you’ve just completed a task and you sit down to take a break. These brainwaves are also present when you have quiet, slow thoughts and are generally calm; or if you take a walk after a meeting or meditate. The frequency of alpha waves is 9 to 14 cycles per second. These waves are important for alertness, learning and mental coordination.

Theta waves

When you’re asleep, at rest, in deep meditation or if your senses are generally withdrawn from your surroundings, you’re experiencing theta waves. For instance, when you’re driving for a long time, the repetitive nature of the task can put you into a theta state. The same thing happens when you take a shower, comb your hair or read a book. In this state, the frequency of your brainwaves is slow and normally ranges between 5 and 8 cycles per second.

Delta waves

Your brain is in a delta state when you are in a deep sleep or deep meditation. Delta brainwaves are important because they help your body reach a state that allows you to wind down. Winding down is necessary so you can experience deep, dreamless sleep that will heal and restore your body. Delta brainwaves have the slowest frequency at one-and-a-half to four cycles per second.

Brainwave training

If you’d like to tap into different brainwaves to achieve something specific, there are ways to train yourself.

Here are some tips:

If you want to use certain brainwaves to achieve a certain task listening to binaural beats can help. Binaural beats are sounds at different frequencies (but lower than 1000 Hertz so your brain can detect them).

If you listen to these sounds for a time, specific parts of your brain are activated. This can help you switch to different brainwaves. Find binaural sounds easily online.

Meditation can also help. Regular meditation has been shown to increase alpha activities in your brain and decrease beta brainwaves. This can be particularly helpful if you’re struggling to sleep.

References:

How to boost your attention for better performance

January 23rd, 2019 by The Hello Doctor Team

The best way to power through any task or goal is to understand your brain’s limitations and figure out ways to work around them.

Your friends may work well with music in the background, but for you, it could be a distraction. Perhaps a quiet room works best and helps you concentrate. There are a few tips and tricks to help you develop excellent concentration and focusing skills; which is what will help you learn and perform better.

Like any activity, concentration takes practice. If you want to be good at something, you must practise…. and you know what they say: practice makes perfect!

Breathe in and out

Start by waking up early and exercising. This will help set the tone for the day as it keeps the oxygen flowing to your brain. Every now and then while working or studying, get up and walk around the room to get your blood flowing and to send new supplies of oxygen to your brain.

Define your task

To help increase your productivity, have a clear understanding of what you need to do and when it should be done. This will help you plan your time accordingly.

Manage your time

It’s not always about how much time you have; it’s how you use it. Once you’ve lost it, you can never get it back and it’s at times like these when you’re likely to start panicking and lose focus. This leads to poor concentration. Use your time efficiently and have a detailed planned schedule ahead of time.

Banish distractions

Put that phone away! Take a hiatus from social media for a couple of hours. Social media is a thief of time and leads to serious procrastination. Find a quiet space where you can be alone or if you’re working in a noisy space, invest in noise-cancelling headphones. Don’t forget that “do not disturb” sign on your door if you’re at home or in res.

Meditate

Meditating keeps you cool, calm and collected. Plus, it can significantly boost your attention span.

Improve your work environment

The more you get the hang of being organised, the easier it will become to concentrate. Jot down the items that need your attention and hang them around your desk as a reminder. Create a filing system for each task. This will also help you find your material more efficiently and won’t waste your time shuffling through a bunch of papers.

Nourish your brain with real food

Add Omega-3 rich foods to your meals. Your brain uses Omega-3s to build brain and nerve cells. These fats are necessary for learning and memory. Find these health helpers in fish, walnuts and pumpkin seeds.
Stock up on blueberries, which can help improve learning while protecting your brain from free radicals.
Choose whole grain options. Wholegrains regulate glucose and improve blood flow.
Snack on dark chocolate. Cocoa is rich in flavonoids, which are compounds that are linked to boosting cognitive performance.

Sleep for a winning mindset

The biggest factor that affects concentration is lack of sleep. If you don’t get enough sleep, your mind tends to aimlessly drift, unable to retain information. But, beware: too much sleep is not healthy either.

References:

Nootropics can boost your brain power

October 8th, 2018 by The Hello Doctor Team

Do you often turn to coffee or an energy drink when you need a boost? Most of us do to get that quick wake-up fix. Now, you could also try “nootropics”; smart drugs which are natural substances, supplements, and other cognitive enhancers that can improve your memory, focus, creativity and help you feel motivated.

How do nootropics work?

For your brain to work effectively, it needs the right levels of neurotransmitters to be in the right place at the right time. Your brain is “needy”! Neurons are in a constant cycle of death (the complete and irreversible loss of brain function) and genesis (a process where new neurons are formed in the brain), and thus need a lot of energy to ensure they signal, receive and process information correctly.

Nootropics can also improve blood flow to the brain. As more nutrients and oxygen are supplied to the brain, the better neurons are able to function.

Beat brain fog

The most commonly used “brain enhancer” is caffeine, which gives you that alert feeling. Caffeine does this by stimulating your central nervous system.

Other effective nootropics include:

L-theanine, an amino acid found in green tea leaves. Studies find that L-theanine is effective at reducing psychological and physiological stress responses; like anxiety and high blood pressure.
Creatine, an amino acid that your body uses to make protein, can improve short-term memory and reasoning skills.
Ginkgo biloba supplements have been shown to improve memory and mental processing in healthy older adults when taken daily for six weeks.
Fish oil supplements are rich sources of two types of Omega-3 fatty acids that promote brain health. If you don’t have the recommended amount of oily fish in your diet, consider a fish oil supplement
Resveratrol is an antioxidant that occurs naturally in the skin of grapes, raspberries and blueberries. This little helper can protect your brain function and lower blood pressure. You can also find it in red wine, chocolate and peanuts.

Are nootropics safe?

Supplements aren’t meant to replace a healthy diet or a good night’s sleep. Supplements also aren’t going to magically boost your health if you’re not exercising and eating well, so you’ll need to combine them with nutritious food, regular exercise and good sleeping patterns to reap their full benefits.

When browsing the shelves for supplements, look for ones with high-quality ingredients, safety guarantees, well-designed formulas and clear labels. Speak to your doctor or pharmacist if you’re not sure.

And remember, your safety comes first. Experts advise staying away from nootropic supplements if you’re:

Pregnant, nursing, or considering getting pregnant.
Under the age of 18.
Dealing with a serious medical condition or about to have surgery.
Taking brain-related medication.