Dec 1, 2015 | Energy, Healthy, Personal Development, Stress Management, Work Life Balance
Your secret weapon for the holidays is your breath. Long associated with yoga mats and mystics, the science is in – and proves that the simple practice of intentional breathing can boost your energy, level out those emotional roller-coaster rides, and significantly strengthen your ability to fight off those pesky winter bugs.
Jan 29, 2015 | Creativity, Energy, Healthy
Like living? Take a 20-minute walk. When you add up the benefits – more creativity and energy, better body and brain health, lower stress, and oh yeah, less dying – walking is truly the health equivalent of compound interest!
Jan 21, 2015 | Creativity, Energy, Healthy, Performance Improvement, Productivity
This is the first anniversary of my stand-up desk. I wouldn’t even think of going back. I feel better; I feel more productive and creative, and research now shows it slows down the aging process!
Jun 30, 2014 | Creativity, Employee Engagement, Energy, Healthy, Motivation, Performance Improvement, Personal Development, Productivity, Stress Management, Work Life Balance
Maximizing these three very important attributes will allow you to accomplish just about anything you set your mind to. It turns out they are inextricably linked together! What creativity, productivity, and sustainability all have in common is that rhythm and balance are essential to each of them. Introducing rhythm and balance into your working habits will boost each of these in a significant way. Let me explain: Creativity The latest brain science has shown that although creativity is still somewhat mysterious, you can definitely improve your creativity by using your brain in the manner allows it to function at its best. You can do that by honoring the brain’s creative cycle. As it turns out, that does not involve multitasking marathons. The creative cycle is essentially based on creating a rhythm between right and left-brain, as well as creating a balance between intense focus and relaxing, restorative practices. That means working in short, focused sprints of 90-120 minutes, followed by short breaks of 10-30 minutes to allow the brain to rest, process, and create. Those “rest” periods are when the sub-conscious performs its mysterious processing and makes creative connections. Those rest periods are when the “aha!” moments are most likely to occur. For example, a recent Stanford study found that participants generated 60% more ideas while taking walking breaks compared to those who remained sitting at their desks! Productivity Your energy level and ability to focus (and thus your productivity) fluctuates with the same cycles that govern your sleep during the night – cycles of approximately 90-120 minutes. Key signs that you are in the down side of that...
Jun 3, 2014 | Creativity, Employee Engagement, Energy, Healthy, Performance Improvement
When it comes to self-improvement and performance improvement, this is an easy one; a no-brainer. No program to follow, no new equipment to buy, no new techniques to learn. Aside from sleeping, eating, and breathing, there is no other activity that can benefit your mind and body more than taking a short walk.
Apr 22, 2014 | Creativity, Energy, Healthy, Performance Improvement, Productivity, Work Life Balance
I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but I finally took the plunge and created a standing desk workspace for myself. I’m just wrapping up the first month and the differences are pretty dramatic. There is no going back.