Productivity

Coffee 101: How to Drink Coffee for Increased Productivity in the Workplace

Every year, Americans throw back more than 100 billion cups of coffee. That works out to about 280 million cups of coffee every day.

Some people simply need a cup of coffee in the morning to get themselves up and moving. But others rely on coffee throughout the course of the day to make themselves more productive at work.

Do you fall into the second category here? If so, it’s important for you to learn how to drink coffee to increase your productivity. It’s not quite as simple as just keeping a cup of coffee on your desk at all times to stay caffeinated.

If your workplace productivity could use a jolt right now, coffee might be the answer. Here is how to drink coffee to make the most of it.

Keep a Steady Supply of Coffee in Your Office

Is there anything worse than showing up for work and realizing that—gasp—there’s no coffee? Ugh. It’s the worst.

Rather than risking it, you should always keep a steady supply of coffee in your desk drawer.

In a perfect world, your employer will use this guide to keep the fresh coffee flowing in your office. But in the event that everyone around you drinks it all up, it never hurts to have a backup supply on hand.

It’ll prevent you from ever running out of coffee at work.

Know When to Have Your First Cup of Coffee Each Morning

There are a lot of people who start chugging cups of coffee the second they get out of bed in the morning. They believe that, by doing this, they can send shockwaves through their systems and get their bodies and brains in motion.

You might be surprised to learn that you’re better off waiting for a little while before having your first cup of coffee each morning. In fact, you might want to put it off until 9 or even 9:30 a.m.

Reason being, your body releases a lot of cortisol, which is also often referred to as the “stress hormone,” when you first wake up. It makes it difficult for your body to do much with the caffeine that you put into it.

But by 9 or 9:30, all of the cortisol should be out of your system. It’ll free up space for caffeine to step in and get you going.

It’s why you should always wait on your first cup of coffee if you can.

Avoid Waiting Too Long to Have Your Second Cup of Coffee

Once you take in your first cup of coffee a short time after arriving at work, you’ll feel more productive and energetic than you do at almost any other time of the day. There’s nothing like that first jolt that you get from a cup of coffee.

But within just a few hours, you’re going to start to come down off your caffeinated high. You may even begin to feel sleepy and lethargic.

This happens when adenosine molecules are able to build up inside of your brain. They make you feel very groggy and can drag your productivity way down.

The best way to defeat adenosine molecules is by having your second cup of coffee long before the sleepiness associated with them starts to kick in. Time it out so that you’re drinking your second cup about 30 or even 60 minutes before you would normally begin to feel sleepy.

For most people, drinking a second cup of coffee at around 2 p.m. is a good idea.

Consider Combining a Cup of Coffee With an Afternoon Nap

There are going to be times when you aren’t able to drink a cup of coffee before the adenosine molecules build up in your brain. You’ll feel like you want to take a nap, and you’ll try to drink coffee to combat that feeling.

If you’re able to swing it, you may want to combine your second cup of coffee with a quick nap for best results. Try drinking your second cup and then lying down right away to sleep for about 15 minutes.

During your brief rest, your brain will work to eliminate the adenosine molecules that have congregated in it. The caffeine from your coffee, meanwhile, will work its way through your system and hit just as you’re waking up.

When you learn how to drink coffee and use caffeine like this, you’ll make your afternoons more productive. You’ll achieve an unmatched level of focus and be able to concentrate like never before.

Stop Drinking Coffee Before It’s Too Late

Two cups of coffee should be more than enough to get most people through the workday. But if you find that you run out of steam around 4 p.m., you might be tempted to reach for one more cup.

Be careful! A third cup of coffee can get you up and moving again. But it can also keep you up at night if you drink it too late in the day.

Try reaching for a cup of tea instead. Tea contains caffeine like coffee does, but it doesn’t have anywhere near as much caffeine in it.

You’ll be able to get just enough caffeine to power through the rest of your day without disrupting your sleep cycle.

Knowing How to Drink Coffee Can Make You a More Productive Person

Studies have shown that most people are only productive at work for about three hours every day. They’re not spending nearly enough time focused on the various tasks that they have to get done.

If you’ve found that your productivity levels are low in recent weeks, learning how to drink coffee the right way might be the best solution for you. You can turn yourself into a much more productive person at work and put yourself into a position to advance in your career.

Follow the tips listed here to ensure that you’re using coffee to its full potential. And read our blog to find some of the other ways that you can make yourself stand out when you’re on the clock at work.

Groovin’ to the Beat: How to Increase Freelance Output with Productivity Music

Americans clock in over 32 hours a week listening to their favorite music. Yet, most don’t know that what they are listening to has a big impact on their work output. 

Freelancers enjoy the freedom of flexibility in their careers. Yet, some days it can be tough to find focus, as distractions get the best of you. 

Yet, listening to productivity music can boost cognitive function and mood. It can give you that extra motivational edge to get your work done. 

Here’s a look at how music can make you more productive in the workplace. 

Music Is About More Than Background Noise

Freelancers use music in the workplace to help create a more positive environment. While some work in the comfort of their own homes, others may choose upbeat coffee houses to get their work done. 

Yet many of today’s freelance workforce rents a co-working office space. As at least 50% of coworking members are freelances.

For those who work in an open environment, they are often subjected to noise and distractions. This includes chatty coworkers, ringing phones, and food deliveries. 

The act of listening to music helps to block out these disruptions. It lets you go with the mental flow, without breaking concentration. The right music for work keeps you staying in the zone, creating a nice pace for your day. 

Yet, work music does more than serve as a pleasant distraction from working hours. As music can also create positive reactions in our mind and body. This includes an increase in your own productivity levels. 

The Power of Sound on the Senses

Music is powerful because it has the ability to affect our mental, physical, emotional, and behavioral state.  It does this by triggering chemicals and hormone production in the brain. 

Memory

These chemicals can help enhance memory and boost cognitive functioning. They can also improve our mental health. Music therapy aids those who suffer from dementia, anxiety, and depression.  

Relaxation

Music also provides a calming effect on the mind and body. This is ideal in stressful work situations, like working under tight deadlines. Or when dealing with a major crisis or annoying coworker. 

Relaxing music can improve insomnia, helping you to get better sleep. This allows you more energy and a well-rested mind for your workday.  

Mood

Music affects our behavior by triggering happy hormones. This, in turn, helps to balance your mood. It allows better concentration and an increase in focus for work projects.   

Motivation

Music can also be motivational. It can help to increase endurance and enhance a workout. As it gets your heart pumping and blood circulating. 

It can boost creative thinking, helping with writing projects. It also makes us more efficient at managing day-to-day tasks. Especially repetitive ones that tend to lose our attention.     

How Music Can Further Stimulate the Brain 

Music’s effect is subject to your own unique personal preferences and past experiences. Yet, listening to the right type of music can stimulate brainwaves, both on the left and right side of the brain. 

The type of music you listen to has a big impact on this though. The best music for productivity depends on what type of workload you have.

For deeper concentration, it’s best to go with music that doesn’t have any lyrics. As lyrics can sometimes distract us, especially if it’s a new song you haven’t heard yet. This can cause your brain to try to focus on the words and meaning of the song, instead of the work in front of you.  

So choose music with instrumentals, paying attention to the beat and tempo. This can be a flowing list of focusing music or ambient music. 

Classical music can also increase productivity when working. Those who study the Mozart Effect say it can even boost the brain’s IQ. This makes it a smart choice to use for study music or when trying to teach yourself a new skill. 

Vocals and Volume 

Your work music doesn’t always have to stay instrumental. Feel-good favorites can also put you in a good place, making you more productive. These work great for a mood boost during your morning commute or lunch break. 

Songs with lyrics can also help make you more alert during that mid-day slump. These can be high-energy or low-key happy beats. A loud heart-pumping playlist can also help you tackle your jam-packed inbox. 

Songs that evoke an emotional response can be great for creative writing. They can give you inspiration and help reduce writer’s block. Here are a few more creative tips to improve your writing. 

Playlists with High Productivity Levels in Mind 

To test the theory, start by making a productive music playlist to listen to at work. Spotify is a great source of pre-made playlists that you can stream all day long. Check out their Deep Focus, Brain Food, and Perfect Concentration playlists. 

Some people also find focus when playing nature sounds or white noise in the background. Listening to white noise will also help you retain information better. 

Or you can try listening to video game soundtracks. These get made to help people solve puzzles, complete quests, and concentrate on tasks. Check out The Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, and Metal Gear Solid. 

Another trick is to try repeating a song over and over. This can help the mind better concentrate through an act of repetition. Blazo is a good artist to try this technique with.

One word of advice is to pick the right headphones to rock out to your productivity music favorites. For noise-blocking and sound quality, see page to check out the best headphone buys this year.   

Playing Productivity Music in Your Workspace 

Productivity music can get used for increasing motivation and cognitive thinking. Or as a distraction technique in a loud work environment. The best idea is to find out what style of music works best for you and run with it. 

To improve productivity levels you should also pay attention to the ambiance of your workspace. You’ll want to have an environment free from clutter. As well as one that allows natural lighting and a comfortable temperature. 

Organization techniques can also help create a better work station. Here is more on how to create a well-designed office space to boost productivity.  

How Brain Training Games Boost Memory and Productivity

It may sound silly at first to hear that you can boost your memory and productivity just by playing brain training games, but Austrian researchers would disagree.

In February of 2018, a research center in Vienna published their findings – Dogs who play brain games have more energy and sharper minds.

But if dogs can benefit from playing a game or two, you can, too.

In fact, studies have shown that video games can help stroke victims increase their mobility.

How It Works

Your brain actually has the ability to keep changing throughout your life.

It’s called brain plasticity, and it refers to the growth of brain tissues when you undergo new physical or mental activities.

Just like working out to strengthen your muscles, you can actually exercise your brain to strengthen its cognitive abilities. Most of the time, brain training games work to improve your sensory perception. Sensory perception is what makes your brain so quick to process and digest information.

How much information and how fast that information can travel to the brain are important for developing a better memory and increasing productivity.

These games help in those areas by involving you in different scenarios where you have to remember things in order to complete a task. They also train you to recognize things you may not notice your first time around.

Used in combination with nootropics, your brain can really gain some memory and productivity skills (Check out this nootropics blog if you are interested in finding out the benefits of supplements that help your brain perform better).

Brain Training Games Examples

A good brain training game should have the ability to speed up your processing capabilities, improve your recognition functions, and teach you to ignore distractions like noises and people.

So what can you play?

Here are some examples of brain training games that work.

Escape Rooms

If you are a social person who likes group activity, you can try hosting an escape room party.

Escape rooms are incredibly popular with thrill-seekers, but few people realize that these life-size puzzles are actually good for your brain.

They require you to problem-solve and think critically. You also have to train your memory in trying to escape by remembering various clues you collect along the way.

Not only do you have to remember the clues you found, but the clues your peers found.

Escape rooms are sometimes locally provided, so be sure to look around in your area.

Trivia

Another game for the social butterfly – host a trivia night with your friends.

You can find loads of trivia questions online and have multiple categories so that you and your friends can test your brain’s knowledge across the board.

Not only is it a brain training game, but it’s also one of the better known team-building games.

What You Can Do

Beyond games, you can also learn more about your brain by researching online.

Several health blogs are available for you to start your research and find out more information on how to keep your brain in good condition.

Don’t let your brain down. Start playing!

Increase Office Productivity and Protect Your Data! How to Take Care of Business with a Signal Blocker.

Hacking is one of the greatest threats to a business’s security — and integrity — today.

With 67% of businesses polled saying they’ve been a victim of a cyber crime, it’s not something you can afford to ignore.

Beyond hacking, employee negligence and accidental Internet exposure are the second and third most common forms of security breach.

So, what can you do?

Getting a signal blocker is one of the best ways to protect your company. Not only does it protect your data, it also increases employee productivity.

Not sure where to begin? We’re here to help.

Understanding The Methods

There are multiple ways your network might be at risk. After all, hackers have gotten craftier over the years and can continually find new ways to steal your data. You need to keep up with them.

It’s important you understand their methods when considering a signal blocker.

Common Types of Attacks

Brute Force Attack

An extremely common method, it works just like how it sounds. The hackers use “brute force” to barge their way into your network.

Your WiFi has a WiFi protected set up (WPS). The WPS has an 8-byte pin. All a hacker needs is a few hours and a couple thousand guesses to get in.

Public WiFi

A “Man in the Middle” type of attack is more common for people who travel and use public WiFi.

In this attack, hackers monitor your communications and activity while you’re in transit. Eventually, they can even intercept and change any communication you receive.

Use a Signal Blocker for Security

Obviously, having Internet access is as essential to an office as a dedicated phone system. By setting up a smart system, you can protect yourself and your data.

By limiting mobile access and blocking cell phone signals, you can lock down your data. You guarantee there’s limited and secure access and prevent the aforementioned hacking breaches.

Give your Productivity a Boost

Another benefit of locking down your signal? It will take care of one annoying issue: employees wasting time on their cell phones.

With the advent of smart phones, there’s so many more things that our cells do besides making and receiving calls. It’s easy to get sucked into texting, playing games, social media…the list goes on.

We don’t want to restrict our employee’s freedoms but we do need to make sure we’re not paying them to play around. A blocker takes away the distractions and keeps them focused.

Safeguard Your Data and Keep Your Employees on Track

You’ve got a lot of responsibilities and stress. Don’t make it harder on yourself by having to keep an eye on your sensitive data and your employees on your own.

If you lose the integrity of your data, you risk taking down your whole company. While you want to foster happiness in your employees, you don’t need them wasting time on their phones.

As you can see, a signal blocker is the answer to all of your problems. Plus, they’re easy to set up. Most are plug-and-play models, meaning they are able to jam a signal right out of the box.

Don’t let hackers steal your data – set up a signal jammer today.