Achieve Better Productivity By Going Slow

It’s Ok To Go Slow

We love to go on vacations. However, do you ever feel like your time on vacation goes by too fast, unlike how it seems to crawl by at work? What makes this happen and how can we switch it around? In this blog article, we talk about how to create better habits that will allow you to use your sense of time to be more effective and productive. 

So, how does our sense of time contribute to our productivity at work?

In today’s fast-paced world, it is easy to get lost in the need for speed. Increased demands at work, coupled with quicker communication platforms, bring faster deadlines. This need for a quick turnaround in our work means that our attention needs to be more focused than ever before. So, how does our sense of time contribute to our productivity at work?

Well, so far what we can tell is that our attention plays a big role in creating a sense of time. And our environment plays a big part in how we perceive time. Adding to what is currently stimulating us in that environment, such as co-workers, the computer, emails, calls and such, our attention is constantly being directed somewhere.

So, in a nutshell, our attention plays a role in the subjective expansion of time.  

This can help to explain why we lose track of time on vacations. We can get “lost in the moment” making our sense of time be forgotten. Then it is all remembered later, as it all comes rushing back. Vice versa, when at work the same can happen. However, when we feel the crunch of a deadline, time becomes hypersensitive and every minute and second becomes ‘felt.’ 

How are we able to use our sense of time to increase our productivity in general?

This can be looked upon as a negative experience, but we are often the most productive during these times, as our attention is focused on our goals and how to most effectively achieve them. So, how are we able to use our sense of time to increase our productivity in general?

Go Deeper – Go Slower

Enter the question, how do we slow time down to be more productive? Here are some simple tips to help you realign your focus and increase productivity.

Focus Your Attention

Focus on the details. Ie – stop and smell the flowers.

Better yet, smell each flower’s component. Count each petal. Figure out what is the life cycle of that flower. Bringing our attention to the details of our surroundings will allow our brains to slow down and refocus as well. 

Focus On Your Breath

Oftentimes we forget to breathe under stressful moments. Breath. You’re not running from a bear and your life isn’t in jeopardy.  However, your body might think differently. Coming back to the breath by simply paying attention to it can make or break your next stressful moment.

The more you practice, the better you get at it. Just like exercise!

Sing, Play Music, Hum or Chant

Music affects one of the most primal parts of our brain. It releases an endorphin rush that lifts us up and energizes our bodies. Think of how happy you felt when you last sang in the shower!

We can conjure these endorphins by simply remembering the feeling the last time we felt it. This means that you can conjure this endorphin rush even in public by simply remembering, humming a tune, or singing along to a happy song on the radio.

Change Your Position

A change in pace and body positioning can make a difference and help you to tune into the moment. Try setting a gentle reminder to stand up, sit down or move your body every fifteen minutes. You’ll be amazed at how it allows your brain to refocus on the task at hand.

Lastly, the more you enjoy where your attention is going, the more you will enjoy your time.

So, if you are stuck doing something you don’t like, then changing your perception on the task at hand. You can trick your brain into helping the body to understand that you aren’t under stress. Therefore helping to better enjoy the task at hand and making it more fun!

By focusing our attention on a single thing, we can change our perception of time. Focusing on our breathing, reliving a song and changing the position of our bodies all contribute to allowing you to slow down and better focus. This will then increase your levels of productivity. 

Leave a comment down below letting us know if you have any questions. Or, if you would like to learn more about how to change your habits to increase your levels of productivity.

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