Study Finds Memory Has a Fascinating Effect On Sleep - PsyBlog. Poor sleep’s negative effect on memory is well-known, but what about the effect of memory on sleep? It’s long been known that animals — from flies to humans — have trouble with their memory when they don’t get enough sleep. Getting enough sleep is critical in converting short-term memories into long-term memories. That’s the reason that all-nighters don’t work; but little is known about how memory affects sleep. One theory has it that memory neurons are actively trying to put us to sleep so our brains can transfer information into long-term memory. In a new study, researchers at Brandeis University have put this to the test in fruit flies.
The fly has a structure in its brain called ‘the mushroom body’, which is similar to the hippocampus, the area of the human brain that’s vital for memory consolidation. The results, published in the journal eLife, show for the first time that when critical memory neurons were active, the flies slept more (Haynes et al., 2015). Christmann continued: Free Management Library (SM) 16 Tips for Getting 90 Percent of Your Work Done in the Morning. This One Simple Thing Can Make Your Life Much Better. Go Buy A Notebook Many people have written to me saying they love all the research on bettering themselves but need that first step on how to shoehorn it in to their day-to-day life. Incorporating a lot of the blog’s strategies can be as easy as buying a notebook. (No, it doesn’t need to have glitter on it or say “MY SECRET DIARY” on the front.)
Others might think: “I don’t need to write stuff down. Nope. A lot of research shows your brain sees writing differently than thinking or talking. Writing forces you to organize and clarify your thoughts. So what should you be writing in this notebook? 1) Write down what you’re looking forward to. People who devote time to anticipating fun experiences are happier. So at least once a week, make plans, write them down and when you need a boost, look at the great things you have coming up. From Shawn Achor’s The Happiness Advantage: (For more activities that will make you happier, click here.) 2) Write down your progress. From management guru Pete Drucker: Perfect Time-Based Productivity: A unique way to protect your peace of mind as time demands increase: Francis Wade: 9781505408096: Amazon.com: Books. Productivityist - Productivity Tips & Tools for Everyone. Mind The Gap: 2 Ways To Find The Holes In Your Productivity.
Productivity vs. Getting Things Done. This post originally appeared on the Exist blog. I’ve been a sucker for so-called “productivity porn” for a while. I still am, to some degree, but I’ve been working hard to cure myself of this time-wasting habit and I’m getting a lot closer to that. For anyone who’s not familiar with it, my interpretation of productivity porn is pretty much anything related to productivity as a topic of interest, that doesn’t actually involve getting anything done. For me, it includes things like trying out new task managers, reading blog posts about productivity and stocking up on stationery I don’t need.
I’ve known for years that this habit isn’t doing me any favors, but I’ve only recently started to shake it by enforcing some strict rules on myself. These are the main four: Go back to basics The first thing I did that really made a difference was cutting out all the tools, apps and systems I had been using. I’d never truly understood my own workflow before this. Use MITs Focus on what works. Productivity. 52 Tips for Happiness and Productivity. By Leo Babauta This is something I’ve been wanting to write for some time — a Handbook for Life. Now, is there any handbook that can be a guide to every single person? Of course not. This is just a list of tips that I think will help many people in life — some of them common-sense tips that we often forget about.
Consider this guide a reminder. It’ll also become apparent from the links in this handbook that I’ve written about this stuff before. In essence, this site is a bigger version of this handbook. How to use this handbook This handbook is not meant to be a step-by-step guide, nor should you adopt all the tips below. Pick and choose the tips that will be most useful to you. 52 Tips for Happiness and Productivity Try rising early. Brian Tracy on the art and science of time management | LeadersIn. Productivity 101: How to Use Personal Kanban to Visualize Your Work. The Magic of Doing One Thing at a Time - Tony Schwartz. By Tony Schwartz | 8:53 AM March 14, 2012 Why is it that between 25% and 50% of people report feeling overwhelmed or burned out at work? It’s not just the number of hours we’re working, but also the fact that we spend too many continuous hours juggling too many things at the same time.
What we’ve lost, above all, are stopping points, finish lines and boundaries. Technology has blurred them beyond recognition. Wherever we go, our work follows us, on our digital devices, ever insistent and intrusive. Tell the truth: Do you answer email during conference calls (and sometimes even during calls with one other person)? The biggest cost — assuming you don’t crash — is to your productivity. But most insidiously, it’s because if you’re always doing something, you’re relentlessly burning down your available reservoir of energy over the course of every day, so you have less available with every passing hour. I know this from my own experience. 1. 2. 3. 1. 2. 3. This Printable To-Do Template Shows How Long Those Tasks Really Take. My 23 Go-To Productivity Tools for Remote Work.
At Todoist, we know the right tool can mean the difference between frantically struggling to keep all of the balls in the air at once and feeling calm and in control of everything you need to get done. That’s why we reached out to the impressively productive writer and business consultant Zachary Sexton to ask him about the tools he uses to stay sane as a remote worker. He put together this incredibly comprehensive list of his go-to productivity tools AND explain exactly how they fit into his streamlined workflow. You’re sure to find some fantastic ideas for saving time, stress, and effort on a daily basis. We certainly did! Hey there. My name is Zachary Sexton. I’m an online worker and occasional digital nomad. I love it. Fortunately, my productivity buddy and fellow online worker Thomas Frank did a roundup of all the apps and tools he uses to keep his blog, podcast and youtube channel up and running.
Skitch MindJet Mindmanager Next we have MindJet Manager. Dropbox 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 1. 2. Rev. Why Saying This Four-Letter Word Can Transform Your Productivity. Perfectionists are often reminded that "done is better than perfect. " But it turns out there’s another reason we should all try to create more "done" moments in our workdays.
Saying the word done can help you get more accomplished on your to-do list. "Telling ourselves that we’re done creates not only an emotional reaction but a physiological response as well," says Leslie Sherlin, a psychologist, neuroperformance specialist, and the cofounder of the brain-training company SenseLabs. According to Sherlin, when we’re concentrated on a task, the brain’s electrical activity is heightened. But the moment we say we’re done with something, the electrical activity in our brain shifts from being activated and engaged into a more relaxed state. "That relaxed state looks very similar to meditators or individuals who practice mindfulness techniques," she says. A neurochemical shift in the brain occurs simultaneously. How to create more opportunities to say "done": Break Tasks Into Smaller Chunks Done.
20 Practices That Can Make You Super Productive! Big data study finds most productive people work in sprints: 52 minutes, rest for 17 | VentureBeat | Business | by Gregory Ferenstein. A new big data study claims to have found a formula for ultimate productivity: work 52 consecutive minutes and then ditch the computer for 17 minutes of rest. Worker productivity monitoring company, DeskTime, sorted through volumes of data on how quickly workers performed tasks and found interesting patterns in the elite, Olympic athletes of the office. “The reason the most productive 10% of our users are able to get the most done during the comparatively short periods of working time is that their working times are treated as sprints,” wrote Julia Gifford at the DeskTime Blog.
DeskTime’s results can’t be compared to the results found in university research: First, DeskTime has a limited population, and it can only make claims about the kinds of companies that willingly buy its software. Second, averages tend to give us misleading precision. Just like the average family does not have 2.5 children, few if any people experiences their maximum productivity time in exactly 52 minutes. The Science of Productivity: How to Get More Done in a Day.
Time is our scarcest resource, yet we spend so much of it doing things that are unproductive -- usually without meaning to. The average person wastes 31 hours in unproductive meetings according to Atlassian. And a McKinsey study shows we spend an average of 13 hours per week reading, writing, or responding to email.
That's leaves roughly half of your time at work actually spent doing work. While it's true we're being pulled into more directions than ever before these days, it's not just the internet and our bosses and our coworkers holding us back from making the most of our time. Part of this stems from our addiction to information. Since most of us more successful and happy when we're productive, we've all become a little obsessed with hacks and shortcuts. Well, there's no secret, per se.
Just get started. There's something to be said about Nike's "Just Do It. " According to a study by Award-Winning Psychology Researcher Dr. Work in sprints. Just look at the world's top musicians. Why? 15 Time Management Apps and Tools That Will Supercharge Your Productivity. No one can dispute the countless benefits technology has brought us. It has undoubtedly allowed us to connect, perform, improve and leverage our resources beyond what was once imaginable. We all make daily use of a wide variety of different tools and devices to make life easier and more comfortable. How many tools and apps are you currently using to optimize your time?
If you are not taking advantage of the hundreds of apps and tools out there, you are certainly missing out. With so many apps to choose from, how do you know which ones to use? Of course, this will depend on your needs, and so below I have listed the top 15 apps to support you with the most common time management challenges. Do you know where all your time goes? Rescue Time If you have doubts that you are using your time wisely, this app will send you weekly reports to indicate your time thieves. Manage all your tasks effectively Remember The Milk Share and send large files effortlessly Dropbox Capture everything in one place.
14 Clever Email Hacks for Productivity and Efficiency. 99 Resources for Personal Productivity. Lifehacker: The Index. Lifehacker - Tips and downloads for getting things done. 22 Life-changing Tips on How To Phenomenally Boost Your Productivity. I’ve been testing and adjusting various productivity techniques for the past five years, read lots of books (most of them repeating) and here’s some of my findings: It’s not about time. It’s about energy. We try to squeeze as many hours in one work day, to be “productive,” but in the end everything depends less on time, and more on your focus, motivation and overall well-being (all of them linked directly with energy levels). I’ve recently talked about my productivity techniques obsessions in an internal presentation at Grapefruit, and the resulting presentation is on Slideshare: Productivity porn Some of the key findings: Decide what’s important because in 5 years, 80% of what you do today will not turn into anything.
Sleep, food and exercise can help you triple your outcome, because they increase focus, motivation and energy levels. The 2-minute rule: if you can do something (like replying to an email, or a house chore) in 2 minutes, do it now. Tiny habits (Tiny Habits w/ Dr. Pomodoros. The Secret to Productivity: Focus. Technology has helped us do so much more, so much faster. But many experts argue that work-related systems and tools haven’t necessarily made us more productive.
How many times does your phone, tablet or computer chime to indicate email or a Facebook notification? The reality is that while technology has the ability to improve productivity, too many people allow it to distract. Ultimately, the key to getting more done in less time requires focus. Stop switch-tasking. Schedule tasks in blocks of time. Focus on the one-thing. Turn off notifications including the ringer on your phone. Wear headphones. Keep your work area organized based on how you work. 50 Tricks to Get Things Done Faster, Better, and More Easily. Productivity Strategies. 10 Laws of Productivity. You might think that creatives as diverse as Internet entrepreneur Jack Dorsey, industrial design firm Studio 7.5, and bestselling Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami would have little in common. In fact, the tenets that guide how they – and exceptionally productive creatives across the board – make ideas happen are incredibly similar.
Here are 10 laws of productivity we’ve consistently observed among serial idea executors: 1. Break the seal of hesitation. A bias toward action is the most common trait we’ve found across the hundreds of creative professionals and entrepreneurs we’ve interviewed. 2. When our ideas are still in our head, we tend to think big, blue sky concepts. 3. Trial and error is an essential part of any creative’s life. To avoid ‘blue sky paralysis,’ pare your idea down to a small, immediately executable concept. 4. When working on in-depth projects, we generate lots of new ideas along the way. 5. 6. 7. 8. Few activities are more of a productivity drain than meetings. 9. How to Become a Productivity Ninja.
Believe it or not, productivity can be learned, grasshopper. Yeah, I didn’t believe it either..until I transformed myself into a productivity ninja. Today, I’m going to teach you to maximize your time at your computer, dominate your email in-box, and spend less time on unimportant tasks to focus on what really matters. Once you have freed up your time, you’ll be surprised how you’re able to hang out with friends and family, pick up new skills, spend more time exercising, or cook healthy meals. Like Neo learning Kung Fu, today I shall teach you the skill of productivity.
My story I am the world’s best procrastinator. For the past three years: I used to think I was justified in my horribly unproductive, time-consuming behavior because I was running a business. I finally came to the harsh realization that I was lying to myself. So I dumped ALL of my effort into building the habit of productivity. Just two months later, my life is drastically different: I actually feel in control of my life now.
Boost Your Productivity By Quitting These 10 Everyday Habits That's Ruining Your Productivity. Being productive isn’t easy, regardless of how badly you’d like to be and how hard you think you’re willing to work. But increasing your output at work and in life is a much more attainable goal if you’re not sabotaging yourself with bad habits. Here are 10 things that are ruining your productivity and you should stop doing right now: 1. Impulsive web browsing Since most of us work with access to the internet, it’s easy to get side-tracked looking up the answer to a random question that just popped into your head. This offcourse leads to not completing work on time, affecting your productivity.
That’s why Quora user Suresh Rathinam recommends writing down these thoughts or questions on a notepad. An alternative way to this writing on your journal what you did through the day. 2. Whether it’s a new diet, workout routine, or work schedule, one of the most difficult things about forming a new habit is the urge to cheat as a reward for sticking to a routine for a while. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. How to Be More Productive and Eliminate Time-Wasting Activities by Using the 'Eisenhower Box' | James Clear. The Zeigarnik effect: uncompleted tasks stay in mind until you finish them.