How to maximize your brain performance and focus at work (Video)

Brain Awareness Week is March 14-20, and this global campaign fosters public enthusiasm and support for brain science with activities in communities worldwide to educate and excite people of all ages about the brain and the promise of brain research. You can find more information at BrainAwareness.org.

In this week’s video, our coach expert Sabrina Cadini talked about the amazing brain, since we don’t thank it enough for what it does for us, day and night. It works tirelessly 24 hours a day allowing us to live, breathe, think, move, feel, organize, plan, speak … think about everything we do thanks to our brain!

Despite what we learned years ago that the brain – once you reach a certain age – stays the same, the latest research has finally discovered that our brain is plastic; this means that it’s constantly changing, and it’s up to us to keep it in top shape.

Many people think that, in order to perform better, they just need to be more organized with their schedule, wake up earlier so that they have more time to work on their projects and tasks, and push themselves to complete their to-dos. But, in reality, this is not the best way to achieve your goals because you are simply overworking your brain and it will get tired, offering mediocre results.

Instead, a combination of this and the right lifestyle choices is the best solution.

So, when you are at work:

1- Stop multitasking!

The brain doesn’t know how to do it. You may think you’re successfully working on multiple things well at the same time, but in reality, you’re forcing your brain to switch between tasks, taking more energy and effort. And the results will be mediocre because you didn’t give undivided attention.

Instead, focus on single tasking where you can concentrate on one to do at the time, and achieve outstanding results.

2- Take breaks during the day

This sounds counterintuitive, but when you give your brain time to rest, recharge, and reset, you can become more productive and increase your performance.

Instead of checking your phone during the break, get up and move, stretch, hydrate (it’s great for your brain!). Breaks can be as little as 5 minutes every hour, and about 15-20 minutes every couple of hours.

Regarding lifestyle habits:

1- Eat healthy foods

Believe it or not, our gut and our brain are tightly connected, and when we focus on giving our bodies whole foods that are rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients, we help provide our brain with energy, we protect the health of its cells, we keep its cognitive abilities in top shape (processing new information, memory, concentration, and so on), and at the same time we protect gut function and prevent chronic inflammation, which can lead to neurodegenerative disease in the brain.

In addition to eating a balanced diet with fruits and vegetables, high-quality protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs, there are certain superfoods that can promote proper brain function, improve memory and mood, and protect against cognitive decline, such as blueberries, broccoli, dark chocolate (but make sure it has minimal sugar content otherwise it will promote brain fog), eggs, green tea, nuts, plus spices and herbs.

Special mention for fatty fish which is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, a major building block of the brain (keep in mind that our brain is about 60% fat).

Keep watching the video for more lifestyle tips! Enjoyed this video? Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to get fresh tips and tricks delivered every two weeks!

Mana, together with your amazing brain, can help you achieve outstanding goals and improve your performance by showing you how to spend time better.

Want to know more about Mana? Download the app today and schedule a call with one of our coaches to learn how to spend your time better!