1. SPACE OUT Unless you’re doing long division, there’s little chance that the quality of your work will improve by trying to think really, really hard. Entrepreneurs say they get very few good ideas by “brain storming,” --they arrive at solutions while driving, or taking a shower. Personally, I’ve never been able to find the correct answer, the right word or the perfect chord by rummaging in the forefront of my consciousness. If it was there, I’d already have it.
Yes, the answer’s in your mind somewhere, but you have to make room for it to enter your consciousness. That means eliminating some of the thoughts that are already crowding your mind. So space out. Focus on your breathing. Feel the energy inside your hands and feet. Study the wood grain pattern on the table top. Do anything but think! The answer will drift in like a leaf on a lake.
2. EAT LIKE A CAVEMAN Michael Pollan famously said, Eat food, not too much, mostly plants. But he probably didn’t have a zillion things to do. When I’ve got a busy schedule, it’s protein and vegetables, protein and vegetables, protein and vegetables. This is great food for your brain and prevents the energy dips that come with eating carbs.
I like eggs and salad for breakfast; fish and salad for lunch. Coffee’s fine in moderate amounts; add a few beans or fruit to the plate and pour lots of oil on your salad so you don’t get hungry. Protein bars make good snacks. Then, for last few hours of the day when you're out of energy--it’s time for candy! This isn’t a diet for life, it’s a diet for a day when you have to get a lot of crap done.
3. RELAX Anxious people spend half their mental energy on useless worrying. To make more efficient use of your mind, make a list of everything you have to do, then do the first task first, refusing to let your thoughts wander back to the list. (Tell your mind it can worry for two long, delicious minutes after the task is complete.) Never concern yourself with the outcome—it's out of your control, so what’s the point? Work at a gentle pace and give the task your full attention. When you finish, give yourself a pat on the back, go back to the list, and repeat. Your pace will be amazingly fast, and the finished product will be high quality.
4. ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS Turn off the blackberry, shut down your browser, unplug the TV and the radio and the radio, close the door and send the boss out for a three martini lunch. Multi tasking only works if you have two brains. For everyone else, doing two things at once means you waste half your time switching between tasks, and don’t do an especially good job of either. Read about it here and here and here.
5. TAKE TEN PERCENT OF YOUR TIME TO DO NOTHING Especially when you’re stressed and in a hurry, your brain needs a break on a regular basis. Every 60 minutes, take six minutes to go for a walk, stretch and have a drink of water. No mulling over your work while you walk—that’s cheating. When break time’s over, you’ll be amazed to find the hard problem has an obvious solution, the monumental task is suddenly easy peasy, and you’re not half as tired as you thought.
Lifehacker: 88 Tech Tricks to Turbocharge Your Day
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