There has never been as much talk about work productivity as there is today.
A mix of the need for companies’ to compete with ever-tightening profit margins, the availability of collaborative project management applications and increasingly accessible people, has made workplace productivity the goal to achieve.
In this context, the pressure for results, both personal and corporate, has created emotional states at work difficult to cope with.
One of them is the famous burnout syndrome (depression, isolation, and even certainty Intolerance at work) and the other is the so-called “brain fog.”
In this second case, the person seems “out of breath,” not quite understanding what they are doing, which drastically affects their productivity at work.
In this post, we will deal more specifically with brain fog causes and how to prevent this unpleasant state of mind.
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Brain fog causes: working too hard decreases productivity at work
The phrase may seem contradictory, but a study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has shown that productivity at work is much more a matter of working smart than working hard.
The study provides a wealth of other information comparing, for example, labor productivity in the G7 countries, as you can see in the table below:
But the focus of our article is not on this comparison, but on the fact that in many of these countries the high productivity at work, especially in France, is accompanied by another factor: people are working fewer hours a day.
Is this fact related to the lower exposure to daily pressure and stress at work, leading to more productivity?
The study doesn’t come to this conclusion, but it has piqued our curiosity about brain fog, this mental confusion that has affected productivity in many people’s work.
To gather more data on this, we researched 5 common brain frog causes and how they relate to work productivity.
Check out: How to improve productivity and quality management in organizations
5 brain fog causes related to work productivity
Brain fog causes are numerous, ranging from factors such as exposure to toxins to sleep apnea, among many others.
But there are 5 brain fog causes which are a result of the incessant quest for more work productivity:
1- Stress
The more a worker tries to exert themselves, the more they can feel pressured. This creates a vicious circle that leads them to this mental confusion, brain fog, rather than increases in work productivity.
Stress leads to depression, anxiety, fear of making decisions and memory difficulties.
2- Eating
In an effort not to miss a second of their precious time, some employees end up eating badly, quickly at fast-food restaurants, or worse: they get unhealthy snacks and have lunch at their desk.
Lack of adequate nutrients, such as proteins, carbohydrates, and healthy fats, depress brain function, causing brain fog and a consequent drop in productivity.
3- Lack of sleep
Whether you work too hard, until the wee hours, or you can’t sleep because of anxiety, you’re damaging your brain.
It’s during the sleep period that the brain renews its lost cells. Insufficient sleep makes it harder to be creative, stay focused and have mental clarity.
4- Lack of sun
When burning through long hours at a time in the office and going home at dusk, without direct and prolonged contact with the sun, your body will not be able to synthesize the important vitamin D, responsible for good mood and vitality, as well as aiding in memory and concentration.
5- Lack of physical activity
Time: This is the biggest excuse people use for not doing physical exercise.
Physical activity makes your blood circulate, produces endorphins – the wellness hormone – and oxygenates your brain.
We’re not talking about running a marathon, but walking a few miles a day or climbing the stairs instead of using the elevator. And, why not practice a sport that you enjoy, even if it’s only on the weekends?
But remember: staying up all week long and playing heavy physical activity on the weekend can be dangerous! Ideally, you should do physical exercises regularly, avoiding this brain fog cause and keeping your work productivity in order.
Additionally, it’s always advisable to seek expert advice, either from a doctor or another health professional trained to do so.
See more: Creative Thinking Techniques: Stimulate the Mind to Be Productive
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