Most people try to find different ways to increase productivity in work, but they fail to understand the main principle of this concept – productivity skyrockets when it is not an actual goal. Instead, productivity is an adverse reaction to being happy and healthy – simple as that.
The lack of productivity is not necessarily in laziness. Your motivation may not be high, but it will not really affect productivity. Instead, you are a human being and you run out of energy or you simply have health issues that affect the energy. Treat the body correctly and it will no longer try to shut down.
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All in all, here are a few tips to boost your mental health and increase work productivity.
Short bursts of exercise
It does not mean that you need to roll over or bring weights into work. You do not have to rush to a gym on your lunch break either. Instead, there are simple exercises that will clear out your brain, boost your body with happiness hormones and put you back on track in no time.
For instance, you could do some jumping jacks if you are alone in the office. If you are not, go on a walk on your lunch break. A 15 minute power walk will do. Such a short burst is backed by science and will help the metabolism and cardiovascular function.
Furthermore, exercise thickens the part of the brain responsible for attention and awareness, boosts the memory and fights depression.
Change your chair
This aspect refers to your whole setup, yet the chair is often the one that makes the difference. For example, you need to ensure that the desk has the optimal height. Ideally, the keyboard and mouse should be on a rolling shelf coming out from under the desk.
When it comes to the chair, get something that allows sitting in it for hours without feeling back pains or having your legs go numb. You need an ergonomic office chair with proper lumbar support. Some padded armrests will also help. If you spend lots of time working from home or at the office, investing in an expensive, but comfy chair will pay off in the long run.
How does your chair affect your mental health? When you feel comfy, you no longer think about problems.
Nature recharges your batteries
You do not need to take a three-mile hike during your lunch break. Sure, it will help on your day off. But overall, gaining some exposure to nature will put your mental health back on track, increase your energy, help you focus and boost the overall productivity.
You do not need too much – 15 minutes in nature are more than enough. You do not have to walk either – you might as well just sit or stand. For example, you could have your lunch on the grass in the nearest park or perhaps in a picnic area.
Even if you randomly feel unproductive, find a patch of grass and sit down for 15 minutes.
Get a journal
These days, you no longer need to keep a thick notebook around you. Just open a document on your computer and start typing away. Having a journal will improve your mental health, but it will also affect your productivity.
Writing thoughts down is like meditation. It also forces these negative thoughts out of your head. As you write fears down, you basically identify the enemy and you know who to fight. For instance, your journal may tell you that you have a couple of reports, a meeting and two presentations.
As you look at them, you have done reports, meetings and presentations. Instead of stressing out, you will tackle them as they come.
Stop stressing about productivity
Productivity is not improved with your mindset. For example, do not accuse yourself for being unproductive. Do not try to push through. Do not even worry about failing because all these things will bring stress to your life, affect your mental health and kill your motivation.
This is not the type of proper productivity, but a toxic productivity. Pushing yourself through will not help yourself or the company. It will only make everything worse. Besides, most people claim that work is the main cause of stress, so you have to tackle this problem effectively.
Stress leads to depression, which kills your motivation. So, what should you focus on then? Simple. Focus on being happy. Think about the best things in your life. Take your tasks as they come and solve them one at a time, without thinking about how productive or unproductive you are.
Conclusion
Bottom line, keeping your mental health on track will add to your productivity. It is just how things work. To keep your mental health on the floating line, avoid stress and all the factors that may lead to it. Remember, productivity is not a goal, but the consequence of being happy and healthy, so this is what you have to focus on.