How to redesign your life to perform at your peak: Neuropsychology tips for success at work

Before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, job demands and the office environment often shaped our habits and routines. For many of us now, that has changed. Working from home or hybrid working is much more the norm, and we have an invitation to reshape how we work, in a way that suits us as individuals.?

Even for those who haven't seen a considerable change in their working environment or the way they work, it's impossible to ignore the global conversation whereby people consider whether their work set-up is the right formula for them as an individual. Either way, our working environments have changed, or we have changed how we think about work.?

In a recent Mindset Matters interview , Amy Brann , Director of Synaptic Potential and author of Make Your Brain Work discussed how insights from neuroscience could help you design your days in a way that allows you to be healthy and productive. Here are three ways you can shape your working day to boost performance and wellbeing, taken from my conversation with Amy.

Book in time to let your mind wander

Letting your mind wander can provide space for ideas brewing to pop into your conscious awareness. This mind-wandering time is essential. Lightbulb moments rarely happen when we're actively trying to conjure them, but rather when we're doing something else such as showering or exercising. For some of us, the old work commute time was used for thinking, reading, or doing things we wouldn't consider unless we were on the move. If you've lost that activity and miss it, it's important to make room for it again.?

Managing both your physical and psychological energy is also a key component of building resilience, which will help you to deal with workplace challenges effectively. In fact, learning how to manage your energy is one of the strategies shared in the 10 Days of Resilience free coaching programme (this exercise is on Day 3 if you're interested):

Amy's advice is to build manual tasks that are not cognitively challenging into your daily schedule. You could include activities such as tidying, organising or going for a walk.

Avoid decision fatigue

We make thousands of decisions every day , and the pandemic has given us more to think about - from whether we should shake someone's hand in a meeting to how to deal with children when working at home. The more decisions we make, the more the quality of those decisions decreases.?

There are simple steps you can take to minimise decision fatigue. Consider how you can streamline decision-making so you can use your (limited) energy for more important decisions. Mark Zuckerberg famously wears the same outfit every day, as did Steve Jobs, for the sole reason that wearing the same thing means there is no decision-making involved, and energy is conserved for critical thinking.?

Get big tasks out of the way first

According to Amy, we're most likely to be at our peak during the first few hours we sit down to work, between 8am and 11am for most of us. She suggests that to be most productive, you should start your day with your most intensive work - the activities that require the most brainpower - and leave any admin and smaller tasks for the afternoon. You also need to regularly refuel, because a hunger spike will affect how you feel and lead to the quality of your work taking a hit.?

If you're interested, earlier today, I shared quick coaching tips on Instagram, sharing how to get the most out of your working day:

When redesigning your life, it's a matter of making the conscious choice to change routines and habits where you need to, rather than following patterns you may have fallen into.?

Your tips

How do you boost your productivity and wellbeing at work? Please feel free to share your top tips in the comments section ↓

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Amy Brann is the Director of Synaptic Potential, the international team of thought leaders applying cutting edge science to organisations. She is the author of three books: ‘Make Your Brain Work’, ‘Neuroscience for Coaches’ & ‘Engaged: The neuroscience behind creating productive people in successful organizations’. Check out Amy's LinkedIn newsletter 'Brain UP ' for more insights and tips.