Learn about brain health and nootropics to boost brain function
With our easy-to-use devices serving as an adjunct part of our brain, which often does the heavy lifting of recalling essential dates and data, it’s natural to forget some information directly issued to us without making a record of what’s said.
Accessing evidence and deploying the right internal algorithm to find a solution is one of the most fundamental duties your brain implements in business. Your brain’s computing power and storage is your most indispensable asset. Your mind overcomes all workplace matters of problem-solving, structural changes, interpersonal conflicts, daily stresses, and impossible deadlines.
The information processor software inside your head produces tangible results that will propel you along in your career. Still, the other aspect of your brain’s primary function in enterprise, memory, is something that an efficient worker shouldn’t overlook. Tethered together, productivity and memory retention, deserve equal attention in their execution. With abundant bandwidth or not, our memory will fail the best of us.
A theory about memory retention from a couple of centuries still holds up today. A psychologist by the name of Herman Ebbinghaus from German came up with the notion of “the forgetting curve,” in which up to seventy percent of knowledge won’t stick within a day of learning it if there isn’t an active attempt to retain said info. Other factors are working against storing newfound intelligence. It’s natural to experience memory loss as we age. There’s only so much space to catalog everything. Though some aspects are innate, memory retention is a skill that one must be engaged to improve upon recollection.
It’s important to note that not every method of remembrance will click with everyone. Like a physical workout routine, some will connect with the action more than others. Below are practical approaches and tips to boost retentiveness.
Disengage from multitasking. Old school wisdom dictates that the more you are doing simultaneously, the more productive you are being. However, in the age of analytics and efficiency, we understand this to be false. Your brain ostensibly switches from task to task, rather than completing them concurrently, which effectively slows you down and makes you prone to mistakes.
Formulate to-do lists. Lists display what you’ve accomplished, what tasks are in progress, and what fulfillments remain. Be removing clutter and chaos from your docket; your mind can move freely and hone in on your long-term and short-term priorities. The discarding or assigning to others of incidental assignments will give your brain the room to operate in ideal circumstances.
Be present and pay attention to even the most mundane information. Distraction is the enemy of memory absorption. Concentrating from moment to moment, from emails to meeting with new clients, whatever presents itself during your workday, will allow yourself to acquire essential data points that you may need to revisit during another instance. Memory is on a time-sensitive basis, so your full consideration creates ample opportunities to learn and move forward.
Recite newly gathered vital instructions, facts, and messages in your head or out loud. Extend your opportunity to retain news and communications by repeating them to yourself. Your brain will acknowledge the importance of what you are rehearsing and preserve the memory.
Visualize input. If you picture statistics, names attached to faces, documents, and other memos, the information will manifest into accessible memories. Not everyone is a visual learner, but if you relate things to shorthands like acronyms, mnemonic devices, recognizable associations, or audible cues, recollections are more rooted.
Repurpose data into clusters and groups. Information can be overwhelming. Try rejiggering the order or chop up the bulk of info into smaller combinations so that you can digest and store effectively.
Below are some adjacent wellness methods in the aiding of memory retention.
Reduce stress. Stress causes poor performance and creates obstacles for memory retention. While stressful situations are often unavoidable, processing the encumbrance in a manageable, healthier manner is an active step you can take.
Disconnect from technology once a day. The forty-hour workweek is a thing of the past. Your tablet, laptop, and the phone will find you addressing work matters in the comfort of your home past business hours. Your mind needs time to decompress and reset so that it can function optimally and keep your memory elastic.
Exercise. One doesn’t need to train for endurance races or team-plyometric competitions to experience the positive effects that physical activity has on the brain. Light-intensity workouts have proven to have an impact on memory retention.
Get restful sleep. As elusive of a concept as sleep may sometimes feel, peaceful slumber is imperative to the productive worker. While you sleep, your brain engages in memory consolidation, which strengthens our memories.
Try meditation. Fortune 500 companies and corporate institutions across the country are integrating meditation practices into their employee’s workday. The benefits of decluttering one’s mind and finding clarity in goals and ambitions are self-evident.
Possessing an edge in business is a crucial facilitator in achieving occupational success. Your memory is a tool that should be perpetually maintained and sharpened. If your mind is performing at optimal retention levels, then peak productivity will follow.