Boost brainpower in the workplace

Cell phones, BlackBerries, and PCs have us juggling phone calls, emails and text messages in an era where multitasking is a given. But what about the quality of the actual work? Is the daily office balancing act making us less productive?

According to a British study, the answer is a resounding yes. In fact, workers distracted by phone calls, emails and text messages suffer a greater loss of IQ than a person smoking marijuana, the study said.

A survey of 1,100 Britons found that constant interruptions reduce worker productivity and leave people feeling tired and lethargic. But the mental toll didn’t stop there.

In 80 clinical trials, Dr. Glenn Wilson, a psychiatrist at King’s College London University, monitored the IQ of workers throughout course of the work day.

And as reported by the UK Press Association, he found the IQ of those who tried to juggle messages and work fell by a full 10 points — the equivalent to missing a whole night’s sleep and more than double the 4-point fall typically seen after smoking marijuana. The drop in IQ was more significant in men.

“This is a very real and widespread phenomenon” Wilson said. “We have found that this obsession with looking at messages, if unchecked, will damage a worker’s performance by reducing their mental sharpness.

The survey also found:
• Almost two out three people check their electronic messages after office hours and when on vacation.

• 50 per cent of workers respond to an e-mail within an hour of receiving it.

• One in five will interrupt a business or social engagement to answer a message.

• Nine out of 10 people believe colleagues who respond to messages while in meetings are rude, while three out of 10 consider it not only acceptable, but a sign of diligence and efficiency.

Operating at your peak

IQ levels rise and fall during the day, depending on worker distraction and other factors, according to the study. How can you operate at your peak, even when your day is chaotic? Here are 6 ways to boost your mental acuity, according to CareerBuilder.com.

Schedule a time for messages. Try to resist the urge to check your messages continually. You will be more productive if you schedule blocks of time throughout the day to retrieve and respond to them.

Reduce your sleep debt. A lack of sleep is also responsible for reduced productivity — as well as an increase in errors. Experts recommend 8 hours of sleep each night to enhance performance.

Eat mindfully. A diet rich in antioxidants (vitamins C, E and beta carotene) and B vitamins supports memory and other cognitive benefits. For a midday boost, snack on a small portion of carbohydrates such as fruit or an energy bar. And don’t forget to drink lots of water — a craving for sugar can signal the initial stages of dehydration.

Exercise. Working out boosts circulation and brain-nurturing chemicals that improve your creativity, reaction time and retention.

Calisthenics for the brain. Mental exercise is also important for keeping your brain healthy. Stimulate your brain by taking on new challenges such as learning a new language or mastering a new hobby. Engaging in friendly debate or intellectual conversation stimulates blood flow and strengthens the connections between nerve cells in the brain. And studies show that age-related memory loss can be reduced by activities such as solving puzzles or reading challenging books.

Stay positive. After 10 years of research, neuroscientist Richard Davidson at the W.M. Keck Laboratory for Functional Brain Imaging and Behavior found that choosing specific thoughts and emotions can permanently change how the brain works.

When participants practiced feeling love and compassion, their brains went into action — connecting and building new circuitry at high speed.

Davidson concluded that emotions play a strong role in mental acuity and that spending just 10 minutes a day focusing on feeling loving can make you smarter (and happier).

Source: CareerBuilder

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