5 Ways to Think More Clearly

We are bombarded with the tons of information every day. This information is not all stored. Our brain cannot decide which information is important and which is not. The information which is regularly watched, read, listened is stored for long-term; this information helps us in the process of thinking and taking decisions. Following are some of the tricks which will help you process information and think clearly.

1. Sleep!

Deprive your brain of sleep long enough and you’ll simply go crazy. Your brain needs sleep to organize what’s happened during the day. Memories are processed and learning is cataloged during sleep. Don’t get enough sleep, and you’ll simply not think clearly.

2. Meditate.

Very different from sleeping, meditation is focused concentration on right now. It gets your brain functioning in different wave patterns by clearing your thoughts and keeping your mind in the present—not worried about the future, not haunted by the past, but simply focused on right now. Your brain finds peace in mindful meditation, and that produces rejuvenation.

3. Experience beauty.

 For some, this is the same as creativity, but not all of us are creative types. Soak in what you find to be beautiful. Some find beauty in the purr of an engine, others find it in a baby’s laugh. This is what generations have referred to when they advise us to “stop and smell the roses.” Whether you find beauty in flowers, in a fast pitch at a baseball game, or in the grandeur of nature, “beauty appreciation” is the brain’s opportunity to stop and function in a different mode.

4. Experience the spiritual.

This isn’t your mother nagging you to go to church or temple. It’s an invitation to open your mind to awareness, of something beyond the physical and visible. For some this comes through study of quantum theory while others may experience it in religious worship. The 12-steps refer to it as appreciation or awareness of a “higher power,” or something bigger or different than all of this and us.

5) Veg!

In addition to sleeping and meditating, your brain needs time to let go and roam where it may. You might “veg” by perusing Facebook or a magazine. Some people might just exist for a period of time in front of TV news or a rerun of a mindless sitcom. In men, “vegging” actually releases a hormone that produces a sense of calmness and can be useful to let go of the day’s stress.

While none of these five suggestions are helpful when practiced in excess, they each add to brain health. So to prevent your brain from pinging or backfiring, give it a tune-up with these five maintenance activities, and your thinking will be clear and smooth.

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How to work smart for more productivity

Following is a list of hacks you can use to be more efficient and productive, working in a smarter and healthier way:

Find your biological prime time.

This is the time when your mind is naturally most focused. Find it out and schedule some uninterrupted work time accordingly.

Schedule 1-2 hours just for yourself.

Having a scheduled block of uninterrupted work time, will allow you to fully focus on your tasks

Stop multitasking.

Multitasking reduces your efficiency and performance, draining your energy faster.

Divide big tasks into small tasks.

This will not only make the task more concrete and actionable, but it also makes it seem smaller and easier to start.

Tackle the worst task first.

This will give you a sense of relief and energise you for the rest of your tasks.

Do everything that takes less than 2 minutes, right away.

Pretty straightforward. Just do it.

Use the Pomodoro Technique.

Time management techniques allows you to prevents burnouts and you will increases efficiency. Work on just one task for 25 minutes, then take a 5 minute break and repeat. Make a bigger break after 3 sessions.

Eat “brain” food.

Blueberries, nuts and seeds, leafy green vegetables, avocados, fish and dark chocolate are great to boost your brainpower.

Use room scents.

Certain scents positively influence your mood and mindset. Citrus stimulate alertness and revitalise the senses. Rosemary is perfect for fighting physical exhaustion in the morning; cinnamon improves focus and concentration; peppermint boosts energy and clear thinking.

Drink coffee strategically.

Drink coffee between 09:30-11:30 AM and 1:30-5:00 PM when your natural cortisol level drops.

Watch your working hours.

Working more than 50 hours per week, will produce no greater results than people who work less.

Set a deadline for each task.

Having a deadline and limiting the time-frame for each task will allow you to focus and get things done faster.

Delegate.

If 70% of something can be done by someone else, delegate it.

Use waiting time for small tasks.

Gaps are great for answering quick emails, reaching out to somebody or read the news.

Track your time.

Knowing where your time goes will help you to act on it and save more time in the future. 

Do similar tasks together.

It helps you to optimise your time instead of wasting it by switching between those tasks throughout your day.

Do email response batching.

Schedule exact times when you are going to check and answer to emails. In-between just delete spam and check if something is urgent.

Improve your typing speed.

Having great typing skills will help you to be more efficient when writing.

Learn speed reading.

This way you can read more and faster, saving time.

Set the office thermostat to 70-72°F (21–22ºC).

Any temperature above 73ºF (23°C) or below 68°F (20°C) decreases your productivity by 10%.

Use a standing desk.

Don’t sit the whole day. Standing transmits a sense of urgency and allows you to be focused on the completion of your task.

Have a plant on your desk.

Having plants nearby increases productivity and indoor air quality.

Clean your desk when you’re leaving the office.

Chaos and clutter distract you and limit your ability to focus and to process information.

Take a power nap.

Naps boost cognition, memory, performance, reaction times and alertness.
10-20 minutes naps are best to boost focus and productivity.

Procrastinate or Surf the web for 10 minutes.

This will make you feel refreshed and ultimately boost your productivity.

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Your biggest career mistakes

More than half of the time we spend at workplace. Our actions decide our success. There are some of the mistakes we make which leads us to big loss in our carrier. We can eliminate them if we identify them. To accelerate your growth you can avoid following things.

Lack of focus.

We are surrounded by an endless number of attractive options. However, by spreading our energy all over the place we lose direction and reduce our task-specific output. Lack of planning, focus, mismanagement and unprecedented events can lead to mental and physical exhaustion. The adrenaline rush is helpful before deadlines since we get things done quickly. However, in the long run stress impedes growth of brain cells and reduces overall productivity, job satisfaction and happiness.

Professional and personal life.

Either you’re doing well in both or bad in either case. These two are not mutually exclusive. And there are no exceptions to this rule. Build up a well connected circle of friends, a partner who complements your personality and a few exciting hobbies. This is where your energy comes from! And stability. And focus. And balance. These elements are indispensable to foster a creative brain.

Be part of a social community.

True happiness comes from people, not from your work! Integrate yourself into a self-chosen community, e.g. a political party, sports club, student body or band. Besides the fun and output you produce you will also build up soft / team skills, which are crucial the higher you climb up the ladder in your career. It also gives you a different perspective and adds freshness to life.

Stable support system.

You will come across a series of ups and downs in life. The ups are only going to be half as awesome and the downs twice as disconcerting if you don't have friends on your side. Make good friends. People whom you can have a serious conversation with. They will understand your problems well since they are in a similar situation. Relationships with college seniors, family, managers, teachers and professors are just different due to the inevitable generation gap. These differences will never completely go away, but they can be mitigated to a certain extent with conscious effort.

Strength training.

All of us live in a busy world. We give priority to work over physical fitness. However, working out is not only meant for top performers but for an average human being too. You will realize its importance later in life when you start having knee problems, leg pain and backache. Weight training not only strengthens bone structure and density but also increases your resting metabolism. As opposed to pure cardio exercises (e.g. cycling, badminton, dancing) the rate at which you burn calories is much much higher. Ideally, you should alternate between cardio and strength training. Monotonous cardio makes your body weak. Lifting weights regenerates your muscle tissues and makes them stronger. Hit the gym twice a week for 40-50 min to maintain a toned and healthy physique. It will also make you more disciplined in all other areas of life.

Presentation matters.

Professional knowledge and domain skills are important and will give you a good head start. However, how far and at and which pace you move forward will be highly defined by the way you present yourself. If you don't present your skills convincingly to the outer world no one is going to take you seriously. People will judge you by what they see on social media and your demeanor. And take a call on whether they want to work with you. Presentation matters. Both in your professional and your personal life. You are not going to impress that smart pretty girl in class with a suit and flowery compliments; a well-rounded balanced package is what matters!

Don't be a boss, be a friend.

The system (school, university, company, culture, family) imposes a series of restrictions upon us. Each of us is gifted with certain characteristics and features. Thus, all of us cannot be measured upon the same criteria. Bend the rules. Make the system flexible by asking for people's opinions. Identify their strengths and use them to your advantage rather than enforcing your rules and arguments upon them. Move forward together - as a team! A sense of belonging and team spirit matters! The output you produce will primarily be defined by the synergy and connection between the team members and far less by individual contributions.

System.exit(0).

 Java is an object-oriented programming language which allows to experiment with new ideas, but at the same time also ensures stability using exception handling. There are 3 different types of exceptions. Some can be handled - others are unknown and therefore result in unexpected behavior of the program. In such cases Java provides the command "System.exit(0)" i.e. "terminate the application immediately no matter what code comes next". If you find yourself in a situation where no one can help you -> leave. Eventually people will figure things out and create a germane exception to deal this issue. Wait until you have enough evidence to take a decision with full confidence. Don't experiment!

Favor long-term benefits to short-term output.

Pick a work environment you are comfortable working in rather than one which looks appealing at first sight / from the outside. You might not understand everything from Day 1, but the more often you shadow your mentor, communicate with your peers and colleagues the faster you will learn and make progress. It will take longer to produce the expected results but you will have a smoother and more memorable journey altogether. Be patient. Iterate. Stretch your brain. Iterate once again! #agileDevelopmentMethodology #stateOfConvergence

Consult someone with higher clout.

You cannot have all the required experiences in life by yourself. Borrow some of them from others. Observe other people' behavior for particular situation and use the same strategies for facing them if you encountered. Keep moving forward in the hierarchy by identifying the next best player, who is _free_ and is standing at a more favorable angle. Keep going until you obtain ~ 80% of the desired outcome. Don’t aim for perfection - it doesn’t exist.

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easy tricks to set goals

Say Goodbye to Some of the People You Love

Progress is sometimes met with resistance. If you begin to grow the people you love might, unintentionally, try and impede your progress. Distance yourself from some of the people you are closest to so you can have time to grow without distractions.

Get Out of Town

I recommend moving in a lot of my answers, it can be the catalyst to a metamorphosis. You can pick new friends that will inspire you. You will also be able to cultivate new habits easier since you’re in a new city and will have completely different habit triggers.

Throw Out the TV, Install Porn Blocker, Use Internet Controls

Get rid of your TV, set a porn blocker on your computer and give your friend the password, and set internet controls, like the app Self Control, every morning. No one has died wishing they watched more TV and Porn.

Practice more

Pick a skill you want to cultivate and put all your effort into mastering it. By this you will be one step closer to your goal

Welcome the Loneliness

Reinventing yourself is a lonely process. Getting better is a lonely pursuit, that’s why the internet calls it “Monk Mode.”

Sweat Every Day

Your physiology controls your emotion and your emotions control your thoughts. When you sweat you feel more alive, which puts you in a better mood, which give you more positive thoughts and better ideas, which will have you making better decisions. The difference between successful people and unsuccessful people is that successful people just make better decisions more often.

Appreciate How Lucky You Are

Stop complaining for a second and take a moment to appreciate the fact that you exist. That you have access to a computer, that you can read, that you can eat for fun, that you have access to clean water. Just take a moment to be thankful for the fact that you can breathe, remember that there will be a day where even breathing won’t be an option.

Commit and Don’t Look Back

Look at your goal, realize what sacrifices you will have to make, mitigate damages where you can, but once you commit, don’t waste time looking back - look forward and strategize.

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