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What To Expect?

In today’s article, how multitasking can stop you from entering the zone will discuss the effects multitasking can have on the brain. The main point of the article will be how multitasking can stop you from entering the zone. Also understanding that focusing on one task at a time greatly benefits your performance. As well as learning how to get out of the multitasking habit.

Why Multitasking Isn’t Always Good For The Brain

The common saying is that women are better at multitasking than men. This has actually been confirmed to be true by a recent study in the UK. Of course, this doesn’t mean all men can’t multitask. But what the study did show is that multitasking can be beneficial in certain areas of life but more difficult in others.

Cited on Inc.com, MIT neuroscientist Earl Miller explained that our brains “are not wired to multitask well… when people think they’re multitasking, they’re actually just switching from one task to another very rapidly. And every time they do, there’s a cognitive cost.”

You Have To Focus On One Task

When it comes to focusing, multi-tasking can be the enemy that takes you away from what you are currently focusing on. In real life, it can lead to damaging effects. For example, if your driving and you turn your attention away from your driving to look at your phone or tell the children off in the back seat. It can lead to crashes and the death of other people.

Our brain is just a muscle and it can only do what it was designed to do. So multitasking on minimal things is no problem but multitasking on things that matter just gets in the way. For example, try writing and then looking at your phone, then talking to someone. When you look back either nothing has been written or you’re going at a snail pace.

For the brain to truly function on a task with 100% intention you can not multitask. It just doesn’t work to its best ability. When you find your mind truly clear of distraction you will enter the zone of the mind where everything becomes easy and flowing. This is because the brain is fully engaged in one singular task.

Of course, our brains are adapting, thinking of ideas but it has to be solely for the benefit and purpose of what you’re doing.

This is Your Brain on Multitasking

Studies within neuroscience found trying to multitask actually changes the way your brain works. When you focus your attention on something, it activates the part of your mind’s motivational system: the prefrontal cortex, which wraps around the front of your brain.

When you’re focused, both the left and right sides of the prefrontal cortex work in tandem. But when you multitask, they attempt to work independently. Even though it feels like you’re doing two things simultaneously, you’re actually switching between the two sides of your prefrontal cortex. This switch takes a fraction of a second, but those microseconds add up: it actually takes you up to 40% longer to complete the same tasks than if you were to tackle them separately.

Not only that, switching between tasks drains your cognitive resources, making you more prone to mistakes. Your working memory, which is responsible for reasoning, decision making, and learning ability, has a limited capacity. It’s like a muscle that can only lift so much weight and do so many reps before it needs to rest and recover.

How To Get Out Of The Bad Habit Of Multitasking

1. Get Rid Of All Distractions

What stops us from getting in the zone is defiantly modern distractions, like phone, email and social media. You know what distracts you the most and what you find hard to resist. So whenever you are doing something that needs your full attention. Put the distraction as far away from you so they can’t be reached.

2. Listen To Music

Now, this isn’t the top 40 chart, this is music that plays in the background preferably with headphones that focuses your mind. For me, it’s anything that’s calm instrumental with the peaceful piano being my favourite for entering my writing zone.

3. A To-do-list & A Clear Schedule

Knowing what you need to do in your day and when to do it can fend off the multitasking mind. A To-do-list & a clear schedule helps to focus the mind on the singular task at different parts of the day. This makes it a lot easier to enter a zone state for each task you have. When you don’t know what to do this quickly allows the mind to wander to other tasks.

4. Learn To Say No

Always being at someone’s beck and call stops you from entering the zone and leads to multi-tasking their every need rather than focusing on what you want. So when it’s time for you to get in the zone. Have expectations with people of what you expect and quickly say no to them unless it’s an emergency.

5. Know When It’s Zone Time

Everyone has a part of the day that they feel at their mental and physical best. Mine is the morning and this is the time that I use all the above points to create a space where I can get my best work done. Creating that time for yourself limits multitasking and allows the focus to form and the zone door to open.

Over To You

I hope you enjoyed today article, How multitasking can stop you from entering the zone.

IF YOU BELIEVE SOMEONE CAN BENEFIT FROM THIS ARTICLE PLEASE SHARE BELOW!

Hi, I’m Adam

I’ve spent over 10 years coaching and mentoring people within sport and business. I have many life skills that I have developed and I want to pass these skills on so people can find their best self. I believe it all starts in the mind and I write about valuable tools and strategies to help people grow in this area.

Fighting Inflammation

In today’s article, we will discuss how exercise has proven to help you fight inflammation quickly. I have faced my own battles with inflammation as I have aged. It affects millions of people throughout the world, with 3 out of 5 people dying from chronic inflammation every year.

This can lead to many underlining negative effects on the body and mind as you grow older.

For example, it can lead to stroke, chronic respiratory diseases, heart disorders, cancer, obesity, and diabetes. This is definitely a worldwide problem we have to fix. Amazingly new studies have backed up the effects exercise can have at preventing chronic inflammation from life-threatening diseases. Especially as we age this should be something you take seriously.

What is inflammation?

How exercise has proven to help you fight inflammation quickly

In simple terms, inflammation is the body’s way of protecting itself from infection, injury, or disease. It’s broken down into two forms either acute or chronic inflammation where your immune system dispatches an army of white blood cells to heal the affected areas.

Why Is Inflammation Bad?

Well, there is a good side to inflammation when our bodies need to fight off injuries and decease but there is a dark side to inflammation which can happen from our diet and lack of mobility. If this isn’t taking seriously. Lack of action can lead to heart disease, strokes, cancer even affecting brain function. The one I was most interested in was acid reflux and how I prevent this from being a normal part of my life.

How Exercise Has Proven To Help You Fight Inflammation Quickly

In the latest study researchers have shown in the laboratory how we can ward off chronic inflammation through exercise. They engineered human muscles that were grown in a petri dish. Then they inundated the muscles with high levels of interferon-gamma for seven days to mimic the effects of a long-lasting chronic inflammation. The results showed that when muscles were developed through exercise. It could fight chronic inflammation while not overstressing the cells.

This is amazing news for anyone suffering from chronic inflammation as our health is important for our mental well-being. The discovery also shows that it works as effectively as drugs that help with rheumatoid arthritis and baricitinib.My own experience of having acid reflux.

Exercising had a dramatic impact on quieting down this inflammation. In a matter of weeks by exercising I was losing weight around my gut but also building muscle in my legs and upper body. My diet slightly changed but not enough to warrant the cause of my inflammation to drop.

How Does Inflammation Affect The Brain?

There have been many studies that derived the conclusion of the effects inflammatory diseases can have on the brain. Neurologist David Perlmutter, MD states that “inflammation fuelled by increased blood sugar, can damage the tissue in our brains and put us at higher risk for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.”

Dr Robert J. Hedaya MD also states “Inflammation affects hormones and other neurotransmitters in your brain. Inflammation drives down the level of serotonin, which can lead to feelings of depression or anxiety, and problems with memory. It prevents melatonin from being produced, which causes insomnia.

It causes dopamine levels to rise, which contributes to insomnia, and feelings of anxiety.” This is a major concern to us all if our exercise and diet are not where they should be. The long term effects as we age can have dramatic effects on how we live in the second half of our life.

What You Can Do Today

The research and my experience show exercising on an aerobic level can have major benefits overall. Whether that be getting outside in nature by brisk walking, running or cycling. It can even be inside by having a cycling machine. Whatever you choose exercising and building muscle will help you overcome the long-lasting inflammation that affects your daily life.

Also reviewing your habits like diet, smoking etc. Of how much that affects your health can also help. For me, anything chocolate, saturated fats, pretty much all the unhealthy foods flared up my acid reflux inflammation. So take into account what sets your inflammation off as well.

Final Thoughts

I hope you gained some great insight from today’s article – How exercise has proven to help you fight inflammation quickly.

It goes to show keeping our bodies active and healthy can go a long way to fighting off bad inflammation. The importance of this can be attributed to long term health and the age we live. But it can also help with our brain function and not letting it affect the impacts of depression and anxiety.

The studies I have read have shown there is hope and a lot of it is in our control. So I leave it in your hands to decide to take action. But know at Future Mindset we are behind you rooting for you to make the changes form a healthy body but something we all need is a healthy mind.

Hi I’m Adam