Top Tips from Two Awesome Hours

Josh Davis, Ph.D. has done a masterful job of creating simple, practical tips on how to apply neuroscience research to maximize the potential of our brain.
You’ve probably heard of the brain being compared to computers. If you think of your brain as a resource to manage then it makes sense that you want to do things that make the most of its computing power.

Here are a few of Josh’s suggestions:

1. Recognize your decision points and make a smart decision – figure out how to catch yourself when you have the opportunity to choose how you spend your time. When you jump from task to task and don’t take the time to evaluate the best next thing to do, you waste hours doing things that can’t be properly completed or things that aren’t critical. So be intentional about the right next steps AFTER an important task. (read more in Chapter 1)
2. Limit your mental fatigue – recognize work that is most likely to deplete you in a substantial way and (as long as you have a choice) do not engage in that work before you want to be at your best.
3. Don’t skip a workout – exercise helps you think better, stay focused, sharpen your thoughts and reduce your anxiety. Believe it or not it can be one of the best preparation tools for an important presentation or meeting! Work out for twenty to forty minutes within a couple of hours before you need to be awesomely productive. (see Chapter 4)
4. Manage the size of your meals – how much you eat at one time really does matter (think about how you feel after a large holiday meal.) Smaller meals spaced out have a positive impact on thinking, in particular your working memory.
5. Clutter reduces mental performance – so move the piles on your desk and hide the stuff that will distract you from what you need to get accomplished.

Don’t miss out on the brain science behind these tips and lots more ideas on how you can create the mental and biological conditions for peak effectiveness; get a copy of Two Awesome Hours.