Costless ways to boost employee productivity

There are many ways to train your brain to absorb information quicker, improve memory and expand mental capacity

Rates of worker productivity are still not matching increases that were seen before the financial crisis took place

Newsdesk Learning & Development, Tuesday 14 March 2017 Jump to Comments(27) 6,287 Views

According to Instant Offices, when it comes to business, there are many benefits to exercising the brain to become more productive, and cognitive training is easier than you think.

Being More Positive

Cognitive training, or brain exercises, focus on improving the mind’s core abilities, generating better self-control and a more focused mindset.

One of the simplest ways to improve your mindset is to replace negative thoughts with positive affirmations. It may be easier said than done, but by using negative self-talk, such as ‘I could never do that’ or ‘I’m not good enough to…’ as a trigger to implement positive self-talk, you can begin a cycle of recognising and stopping negativity in its tracks, by counteracting it with something positive.

As Entrepreneur puts it, “your attitude is so much like an inner architect building resilience in your mindset”.

Psychology professor Barbara Frederickson believes that positive thinking, and controlling one’s mindset, is linked to improved problem solving, more energy, building resilience, improving decision making, and spreading positivity.

The 12 Mindsets of Highly Productive People:

A positive mindset is one example of how exercising cognitive control can favourably impact the outcome of situations and how you feel. Here are some other popular mindsets of highly productive and successful people:

Self-trust mindset
Goal-setting mindset
Driven mindset
Growth mindset
Courageous mindset
Focused mindset
Learning mindset
Grateful mindset
Decisive mindset

Many experts attest to the power of mental training as a workout to strengthen the brain. Like using weights to build muscle in your arms, there are exercises aimed at making your brain stronger, impacting your ability to work faster, and smarter.

Benefits of Formal Brain Training Activities and Programs:

Greater focus
Clarity of thoughts
Improved memory
Broader awareness
Quicker thinking

Some of the most successful people of this generation swear by hobbies that stimulate and train their minds:

Richard Branson plays chess: “It combines the greatest aspects of many different sports — tactics, planning, bravery and risk-taking…”

Warren Buffet plays the ukulele: The Berkshire Hathaway CEO has had a love affair with the musical instrument for decades.

Meryl Streep knits: “For me it was a place to gather my thoughts and understand the contemplative (life) … it’s a sort of clearing out place.”

There are many ways to train your brain to absorb information quicker, improve memory and expand mental capacity.

Activities to Strengthen the Brain:

Starting a new activity is not just challenging, it can help strengthen the brain by improving problem solving, reasoning and creative thinking – all traits that can benefit you in business.

The following activities are great for challenging different parts of the brain simultaneously.