Prepare Your Brain

Stress is unavoidable, but we can create systems to decrease its influence over our capacity to work. These systems vary from person to person but they often include meditation, aerobic exercise (i.e. running, cycling, walking), surrounding yourself in nature, and eating healthfully.

When you know an upcoming project will generate stress, anticipate scheduling periods into your work plan to participate in the stress management activities that work for you.

Memorization doesn’t necessarily mean learning. The test for whether you understand a subject or not is the capacity you have to explain your subject or argument. 

Really listen to what someone else is trying to say.

We need information that is disconfirming, not confirming.

Ask more questions than you give answers.

When you ask questions, you create a safe space for other people to give you an unvarnished truth.

When big and exciting things are happening outside the office - good or bad - it can become challenging to set it aside and focus on your work. Negative news can severely impact your mood. Good news can increase your adrenaline, and when you are too excited, can cause anxiety.

Acknowledge exactly what is distracting you; then suppress it by focusing on something like your breathing. It should slightly alter your mood and help you to work with renewed concentration.

When your focus feels depleted, it could be because you are juggling too many tasks.

What you can do about it:

• Start by controlling your environment. Put your phone in another room. Close your email tab. Put headphones in so you don't hear distracting noises in the office.
• Make a list of your top three priorities for the day.
• Try breaking your day into smaller chunks, using the Pomodoro Technique or the 52 minutes of work followed by a 17-minute break.