How to Improve Mental Clarity for a More Productive Workday

You know that saying, “It’s just one of those days?” We’ve all been there.

You were running late at home, then you hit every light on the way to the office, then misplaced a file you needed for an important meeting - you know the story.

Many things can impede our mental clarity, but stress is a huge one for many Americans. According to the American Psychological Association, 84% of American adults reported feeling emotions associated with stress in the past 2 weeks, including anxiety, sadness, and anger.

Not only might you have stress from your personal life, but there’s also stress from societal issues and so much more. Whether you’re just having “one of those days” or you feel like you’re having an off-day every day, here’s how to improve mental clarity for a more productive workday.

Take a short break for every hour of work

As counterintuitive as it sounds, whether you’re working from home or the office, taking a short break every hour increases productivity.

Not only that, but it also helps your mental health (i.e. lowers stress). You might socialize with coworkers during your breaks or fuel your body and brain with food. It also gives you a chance to do something that gives you a boost of feel-good brain chemicals like going for a walk or watching something heartwarming or funny online.

Since you subconsciously know you’re getting your break every hour, it allows you to focus on your work without the lure of distraction. As mentioned in the block scheduling section above, dedicated focus increases productivity.

According to a study done by Desktime, a productivity app, the magic formula for maximum productivity is a cycle of 52 minutes of focused work followed by a 17 minute break fully away from your work (including email). They discovered this by looking at the data from the top 10% of their most productive users.

Not every job or boss allows for 17 minute breaks, but even a 5 minute break per hour will increase productivity. Go to the restroom, get a cup of coffee or water, or do a lap around the office. If you’re glued to the phone for hours on end, try a wireless headset so you can at least walk around.

Science is showing how you can work smarter, not harder!

Start your day with mindfulness meditation

It’s no surprise that over 14% of Americans are meditating now, compared to only 4% a few years ago. According to the APA, the research is clear- mindfulness meditation significantly reduces anxiety, depression, and even pain.

When you’re not experiencing the unpleasant emotions that often come along with those conditions, your mental clarity increases and you’re able to be more productive.

Mindfulness meditation improves both acceptance and attention. When you’re living in the past or future in your mind through thought, it creates stress via unpleasant emotions.

Bringing your attention to the present moment - over and over and over - will rewire your brain through neuroplasticity, resulting in less anxiety, depression and pain.

Make to-do lists and consider a block schedule

It may sound a little too simple, but making lists can have a big impact on mental clarity. According to psychiatrist Carrie Barron, MD, lists can help you organize a cluttered mind and streamline your workday.

Sometimes things seem bigger in our minds than they are in reality. You might have 10 tasks to get done and while they’re floating around your mind it seems like there aren’t enough hours in the day. Once they’re on paper and you’re crossing them off the list, it doesn’t seem so bad.

Not only is it one of the best ways to improve mental clarity, but it also makes you feel accomplished. As you cross things off your list, it will motivate you to keep going.

Want to take it a step further? Try putting your to-do list into a block schedule. It allows you to give all of your attention to one task at a time, rather than trying to multitask, which can increase your productivity by up to 40%.

Wear a mental clarity bio-frequency patch

Physics proves that everything in our reality is made of energy. By harnessing the natural power of your body’s energy field, these little patches can help provide mental clarity by busting stress on an energetic level.

This science used to create these BioActivate mental clarity patches is called quantum psychics and it allows for holistic healing through frequency. Since your body is made of energy and the patch is programmed to influence your energy in a specific way, the result is a feeling of mental clarity.

These patches don’t have any drugs in them either, so you don’t have to worry about interactions with any of your medications. Quantum physics for the win!

Prioritize getting enough sleep

In an APA survey, many people reported that their stress increases when they get less quality sleep. People who sleep less than 8 hours per night reported feeling emotions like anger, sadness, or anxiety more often than those who sleep 8 hours a day.

When you’re stressed from not getting enough sleep you’re at risk of feeling sluggish or irritable. You might also suffer from an inability to concentrate or lack motivation to take care of your responsibilities.

When you feel this way, it affects your productivity at work. How can you do your best when you lack mental clarity?

One simple way to prioritize sleep is to cut down on your screen time. Many of us spend more time than we’d like to admit scrolling or answering emails on our phones before bed and in the morning. This time could be used to catch a few extra zzz’s.

If you need help falling asleep faster, try inhaling lavender oil to promote relaxation, listen to a guided sleep meditation, or try a bio-frequency deep sleep patch.

Of course, it’s understandable that not everyone has the luxury of getting this much sleep. Life can be complicated. You might work 3 jobs to be able to feed your kids or have to care for a sick elderly parent around the clock. If possible, making even small changes can help. Trying your best is enough.