My number one solution so far to being consistently productive

[The Protagonist]

Hydration.

Ever since I bought a nalgene bottle (quarter gallon), I've noticed that my productivity levels have been rising. Also the 'brain haze' that I usually have clears up, and I feel a lot more focused. I can almost feel my levels of consciousness rising. Subsequently I feel better and more energized.

I highly suggest you guys try it out. I'm drinking 1-1.5 gallons of water a day. Ice cold, filtered. Sip don't gulp (to avoid cramps). Yes you will initially have to go to the bathroom every 20 minutes, but it's worth it.

[RT Wolf]

^ Seconded. It's amazing how the little stuff like getting enough sleep or eating properly (the stuff you used to ignore as kids) so greatly affects productivity.

[dor]

Originally Posted by The Protagonist

Hydration.

Ever since I bought a nalgene bottle (quarter gallon), I've noticed that my productivity levels have been rising. Also the 'brain haze' that I usually have clears up, and I feel a lot more focused. I can almost feel my levels of consciousness rising. Subsequently I feel better and more energized.

I highly suggest you guys try it out. I'm drinking 1-1.5 gallons of water a day. Ice cold, filtered. Sip don't gulp (to avoid cramps). Yes you will initially have to go to the bathroom every 20 minutes, but it's worth it.

i don't know that it helps by productivity but its amazing how many cravings are just thirst...i drink about as much water and wondered for awhile if it was 'normal'..

[JJH]

Hmm, your body needs to up your metabolism when drinking chilled water, so that could be a reason.

[Lucas]

A nalgene bottle is one of the best investments I have ever had. I am always hydrated to great levels. Though I dont like ice cold water.

[StarFish]

Originally Posted by The Protagonist

Hydration.
Yes you will initially have to go to the bathroom every 20 minutes, but it's worth it.

Only initially? As in, after awhile I wont have to go a billion times an hour

[and]

One that works great for me is actually napping, about 20-30 minutes in the afternoon -> if I have time.

[alexander.kharlamov]

Originally Posted by StarFish

Only initially? As in, after awhile I wont have to go a billion times an hour

Yes, it will only be initially. Most of us are constantly dehydrated, even if we don't notice it. Once your body is sufficiently hydrated, you're not going to feel the urge to go all the time.

[EMK]

Originally Posted by The Protagonist

I highly suggest you guys try it out. I'm drinking 1-1.5 gallons of water a day. Ice cold, filtered. Sip don't gulp (to avoid cramps). Yes you will initially have to go to the bathroom every 20 minutes, but it's worth it.

It wouldn't surprise me if it is the regular pauses that you have to take when going to the toilet rather than the extra water you drink that leads to the increase in productivity. (Perhaps the actual mechanism doesn't matter that much, but as a physiology student I'm sort of skeptical about claims such as the one above about us being constantly dehydrated. Now, when I think about it, everytime you take a sip of ice cold water you have to bring back your focus to "the present" as it is kind of hard to ignore the sensation of ice cold water in your mouth. OK, I'll shut up now! ;-) )

[Cassie]

Interesting how the little things end up being the most effective. Thanks for sharing. I'll have to check into it.

[dadeon]

you are so very right about water. so many people when they sty and stay awake will drink energy drinks that high in caffeine and very high in sugar, but whet these two culprits really do is to de-hydrate you.

The two most important things to sustain life is water and oxygen. Without oxygen you can't live for more than a coupe of minutes and without water maybe a couple of days.

You body is 90 percent water and your blood is this incredible network that transports all sorts of things in your body. Apart from that you also have lymph fluid that helps to cleanse your system. When you get tired your body wants to shut down your mind so that it can make more energy available for other functions that are suppressed when you are awake.

When you drink a lot of water and you are fully hydrated your body can function much more effectively in that nutrients can go where they need to go AND your body can get rid of waste much quicker and with less effort which means that you have more energy available.

Learning to breathe properly and keeping yourself fully hydrated is an excellent way of keeping your concentration levels up and feeling more energized. You can read about proper breathing techniques here

[icesar]

I agree. I keep a Brita and a glass right by my desk, although it's not chilled. I think it does keep you more alert, and it also takes away the distraction of always wanting to go to the kitchen to get something. Of course...I get up to go to the restroom pretty often. That argument about upping your metabolism makes sense, I'll give that a try!

[Iamsuperman]

I've tried working and reading while drinking water, milk, juice etc. and found that the clearer the beverage the clearer my head

[renie408]

It is generally advised that you should take your body weight, divide it in half and drink that number of ounces of water a day. Chronic dehydration can lead to overeating, mental sluggishness and disproportional physical fatigue. So I guess it makes sense that you feel more productive now that you are getting enough water in your system. It is a commonly held belief that our bodies will tell us to drink when we need fluids, but it is not necessarily the case. When you add to that the fact that oftentimes we slake our thirst with fluids like soda and tea, which actually DEhydrate you, it's easy to see that a lot of people are walking around with chronic dehydration and don't even know it. If your urine has either a yellow or amber color or noticeable odor, you are underhydrated.

[Gene]

Originally Posted by renie408

It is generally advised that you should take your body weight, divide it in half and drink that number of ounces of water a day. Chronic dehydration can lead to overeating, mental sluggishness and disproportional physical fatigue.

My personal experience is that I feel better, am more productive, and have increased energy when I drink lots of water each day. Using the formula you mentioned in your post I should drink 8.125 gallons of water per day. I may drink that much on some days.

It works for me.

[John Hill]

What a great post.

This has got to be one of the best and smartest things I have heard anyone mention on this forum. No matter who you are or what you believe in, drinking enough water is about the single healthiest thing you can do for your body whether you are a carnivore, vegan or on a food fast.

Well done on mentioning such an important health issue. I have written a comprehensive article on the importance of hydration in the health and fitness section on my site. The link is below.

John

[da1prophet]

Very good observation--I've cut out most of the caffeine and sugar from my diet and I've been amazed at how much more energy and focus I have. Like any good Southerner, I used to drink sweet iced tea from morning to night but have replaced that with unsweeted iced green tea. I get the Tazo Zen tea which has a nice natural sweetness to it. Plus, I drink a lot more water than I used to. The herbal iced tea, water and cranberry juice is really all I drink on a day to day basis. If I go out, I'll allow myself to splurge a little and have a Coke or a cocktail depending on where I'm going. Still, just not guzzling sugar and caffeine during all my waking hours has produced amazing results...

[dadeon]

Apart from keeping yourself hydrated and energized, I would have to say that keeping focussed on the Result/Outcome of what you are doing greatly improves perfomance and productivity.