Tag Archive for: New Yorker

Boost Your Productivity in Just 15 Minutes

yogaWe’ve all been there, working on a difficult project where everything seems to take so much longer.  Or a Monday morning when our minds are just moving a little slower.  What you really need is something to help kick start your energy.

Here are some quick things you can do in 15 minutes or less to make you more productive and help you get motivated:

10-Minute Yoga –  Exercise is a great way to stay healthy, reduce anxiety and  elevate your happy hormones.

Listen to Music – According to a recent study listening to music for 15 minutes can not only helps to improve your mood, but it also increases your creative problem solving abilities and task performance. So next time you need to brainstorm ideas – plug in your headphones and put on some of your favorite tunes!

Add a plant to your desk – Plants can help to liven up an otherwise dull office, and studies show that productivity can increase by up to 15% when plants are introduced into the workplace. This is most likely due to the perception of improved well-being. As well as the calming effect that plants and greenery naturally have on humans.

Go for a Walk – Like yoga, walking can help to boost creativity and mood, but an article in The New Yorker claims it goes beyond that. Writing and walking use similar parts of our brain. When we walk, we are surveying the world around us and constructing a mental map. This mental exercise can help us to organize our thoughts and come up with a plan of action.

Sniff a Lemon – It’s true — Scent Psychology finds the scent of lemon sends your concentration and energy skyrocketing.  It can also calm you down without making you less alert. So start using all those senses to get stuff done. 

What are some of your quick tips for boosting productivity?

Umano App Reads to You On-The-Go

umanoI’ve recently gotten into listening to a lot of podcasts on my commute because it’s just easier than reading something and then getting bumped into by a rude passenger, losing your spot, remembering where you are, re-reading that section and so on.   A friend recommended I try Umano.

I downloaded the app earlier this week, and the first thing it lets you do is choose the kind of content you want to listen to. There’s a wide variety of channels including your typical news subjects sports, entertainment and technology, but there’s also some more unusual channels like facts and history. Read more