Being productive isn’t just doing the right tasks at the right time – although that is a big part of it. Having a healthy body and mind increases productivity by increasing energy, concentration, performance, and ability to learn so you can achieve your goals.
There are many natural foods, drinks, and supplements that can help increase your energy and concentration to help you increase productivity.
Here is a list of 6 things you can consume to help boost productivity.
Black coffee
Coffee is many people’s not-so-secret weapon to increasing energy. Coffee is effective in increasing productivity because it’s been proven to stimulate the areas of your brain that control planning, attention, monitoring, and concentration.
Coffee has also been linked to many health benefits, but there have also been studies that prove that by adding sugar, milk, or cream to your coffee, you’re actually reducing the health benefits. This is because adding dairy effects the way your body absorbs the beneficial acids in coffee, while sugar spikes your insulin levels.
If you want to maximize the benefits of coffee, drink it black. If you’re not accustomed to the taste of black coffee, you can slowly ween yourself off of sugar and milk or cream by using almond milk or coconut oil for added benefits. Coconut oil is high in medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) that are easily digested and sent to your liver to increase energy.
Green tea
If you’re not into drinking coffee or you want to switch it up so you’re not drinking multiple cups of coffee a day, great tea is a great alternative to increase energy and productivity. Green tea has been proven to improve memory as well as increase task performance.
Another added benefit of green tea to productivity is that you can drink it throughout the day without it being disruptive to your sleep. You get the same alerting effects of coffee – even though it actually has less caffeine – but it won’t make it more difficult to fall asleep when it’s time to catch up on rest from your productive day.
Fish oil
The omega-3s in fish oil boost productivity by helping you think better. A study found that during mental activity, fish oil helps to improve blood flow to the brain for young adults. This results an increase in mental performance.
If you’re like myself and don’t like fish but still want the benefits of increased mental performance, there are omega-3 supplements that you can take in capsule form. I’ve even found orange flavoured ones. Same benefits, minus the fishy taste.
Blueberries
If you’re needing an afternoon boost, blueberries might be the answer. A study found that blueberries and other foods that are rich in flavonoids can increase oxygen and blood to the brain. The result is improved memory as well as a faster rate of learning.
Not only do blueberries boost concentration and memory, they do so up to five hours later so having blueberries in the afternoon can help you increase productivity through the rest of your working day.
Pecans
There are many healthy benefits of nuts including helping with weight loss, delaying memory loss, and can even help heal wounds faster.
Pecans are beneficial for increasing productivity because they’re a source of vitamin B3, which helps you to access the energy from the foods you eat.
Melatonin before bed
One of the factors that can cause a decrease in focus is not getting enough sleep. In fact, it was found that people who are sleep deprived, actually perform worse at hand-eye continuation and task performance than people who are intoxicated.
For many entrepreneurs and small business owners, sleep can become a luxury because you’re so busy. Even when you eventually find time to sleep, falling asleep becomes impossible because you’re up thinking and stressing about what you need to do tomorrow.
Melatonin is naturally released by the body which helps you fall asleep. If you have a hard time falling asleep, taking small doses of melatonin can help you sleep so you feel rested and have more energy for the day.
While there is no food or drink that will magically make you accomplish more in a day, eating healthy and getting proper sleep will help you have an increase in energy and better ability to focus.
