Monday organizer: Free your mind
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By BRANDI BALL World Scene Writer
Published: 7/4/2011 4:28 AM
Last Modified: 7/4/2011 4:30 AM
Editor’s note: This is an occasional series designed to help you get more out of your week. We’ll offer practical tips and helpful ideas to simplify your busy life, so you can enjoy more time with your family.
By the end of the week, most people are still scrambling to complete their to-do list. Procrastination and a lack of focus can give you serious time management problems. However, concentration can improve with practice, said Leta Bell, a Licensed Professional Counselor in Tulsa. In fact, it is a skill that you can learn by practicing just a few simple techniques.
1. Meditate.
Meditation heightens energy and is a tool to relax your mind and body. It can be practiced anywhere.
Transcendental meditation — using a mantra, such as a word, sound or phrase repeated silently, to narrow your conscious awareness and eliminate all thoughts from your mind — can be done anywhere.
Do it at your desk, while in a waiting room or when you are out for a walk. Yoga and Tai Chi are also forms of meditation.
“When you meditate, you are training your brain to calm down,” Bell said. “It’s like exercising a muscle. When we don’t give that muscle a time out, we’re like hamsters on a wheel.”
2. Avoid multitasking.
Most people are just trying to keep up with the rat race, so multitasking has become a way of life. But channeling your focus on one item at a time can give your mind more of a fighting chance.
According to a study completed by Russell Poldrack, a professor of psychology with the University of California, multitasking adversely affects the brain’s ability to learn and absorb information.
A similar study done by Gresham College in London concluded that multitasking causes problem-solving skills to drop by the equivalent of 10 IQ points.
3. Stay in the here and now.
By constantly worrying about the past or the future, you decrease your ability to stay centered and it can have a direct impact on your mind control.
If you are having trouble keeping your mind and body in the present moment, Bell said, sit back and practice deep breathing techniques.
“Take big, deep belly breaths to help you slow down so you don’t feel rushed or worried,” she said. “Then exhale through your mouth twice as slowly as usual.”
Deep breathing calms the nervous system and Bell said it sometimes can be as effective as medication in treating panic attacks.
4. Turn off the noise.
Close the 29 windows you have minimized on your computer and running in the background. Switch off your iPhone (a repeat offender when it comes to distracting people), walk away from Facebook and Twitter. Turn down the radio and TV. Focus solely on the task at hand until you have it completed.
“Less distractions lead to more productivity, period,” Bell said.
5. Limit sugar intake.
Making healthier food choices, fresh foods with less sugar, Bell said.
“Lower your sugar intake and you will have a more constant blood sugar level throughout the day,” she said. “It can also help you process things at a higher rate. Sugar slows that down significantly.”
Too much caffeine can make you feel fatigued, and to avoid over-stimulation, you should “budget” the amount you intake, Bell said.
By BRANDI BALL World Scene Writer
Copyright 2011 World Publishing Co. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/scene/article.aspx?subjectid=370&articleid=20110704_4_D1_bEdito723580
For further information you can reach Leta Bell at www.LetaBell.com
For further information you can reach Leta Bell at www.LetaBell.com
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