Optimizing your day, so you can get the most done in the shortest amount of time, is key to living life to its fullest. When you cross off your to-dos in the most productive way possible, you get to enjoy more quality time doing the things you love, like being with family and friends.
The good news: you don’t have to be born with productivity superpowers. There are simple (caffeine-free) steps you can take to increase your energy and focus, so you can conquer your emails (and laundry piles) in a fraction of the time.
At KOR, we believe in squeezing the most out of each and every day. That’s why we got in touch with a team of wellness experts to learn how to do just that.
Introducing: 5 wellness experts on how they stay focused and productive, so they can achieve their goals, without sacrificing their quality free time:
1. Embrace the productivity power of vitamin D3.
Vitamin D3 receptors can be found in large quantities in the brain and can support neuron communication. In fact, scientific studies have found that participants with healthy Vitamin D3 levels perform better on tests.
Vitamin D3 can also help regulate your motivation levels, because individuals with low D3 levels are more likely to be affected by seasonal winter depression. This winter-induced condition can take a big toll on your day-to-day performance and motivation.
Alexandra Soare, Registered Dietitian, Food on Mars
@food_on_mars_
You won’t lose a minute of time trying to incorporate vitamin D3 into your diet when you’ve got KOR’s Intense Defense on hand. Combining organic passion fruit juice with 235% of your daily vitamin D and fresh organic habanero pepper, this sweet and spicy cold pressed shot might just become your schedule’s new best friend.
2. Since I started time blocking, my productivity each day has doubled.
- Use a calendar that has each hour of the day broken down into half-hour time slots.
- Write down all the tasks you want to complete that day.
- Pick your #1 priority for the day.
- Put your #1 priority on the schedule.
- Then fill in the rest of your time blocks for the day until you’ve either finished your to-do list or your schedule is full.
- Couldn’t get to everything? No problem! Anything leftover simply gets pushed to tomorrow’s to-do list.
Using this method ensures you avoid overscheduling and always get your most important tasks done each day.
Candice Mcdaniel, Health Coach, Little Steps, Big Happy
@littlesteps.bighappy
A regular mindfulness meditation practice can improve productivity through improved focus, enhanced creativity, and improved decision making.
Improved focus and cognitive performance inherently increase productivity output, helping you avoid distractions. Mindfulness can support creativity, which can help you develop more efficient processes for getting things done
Meditation is known to impact neurotransmitters that improve mood, and studies show that mindfulness practices can reduce emotional reactivity. This responsive (rather than reactive) approach can inform positive decision making and improve confidence.
Michelle Smith, Certified Meditation Instructor
@chellesmithyoga
A fruit, vegetable, and superfood smoothie keeps me productive.
Unlike coffee, a produce-driven smoothie will prevent the dreaded caffeine crash and provide ongoing sustenance. Although coffee is certainly a healthy drink in its own right, these smoothies provide more brain-boosting vitamins and minerals than a cup of joe, along with macronutrients for all-day energy.
- Spinach and Kale
- Frozen Fruit (Bananas, Blueberries, Strawberries, Mango, Pineapple)
- Carrots, Celery, Tomatoes
- Oils (Olive, Flaxseed, Walnut, Coconut)
- Beetroot Powder
- Wheat Germ
- Hemp Seeds
- Chia Seeds
- Raw Mixed Nuts (Almonds, Peanuts, Pistachios, Cashews)
- Spices (Ginger, Turmeric, Cinnamon)
- Pea Protein
-
Maple Syrup
Adam Kemp, Certified Personal Trainer
@AdamKemp50
4. Nuts and dark chocolate for prolonged productivity
Nuts, such as walnuts and almonds, are enriched with antioxidant vitamin E, which has been shown to improve memory and brain performance. Similarly, dark chocolate contains small amounts of caffeine for enhancing energy and focus, as well as magnesium for relieving stress.
A small bag of a nut and dark chocolate trail mix is easy to whip up and keep at your desk for fueling focus throughout the day.
Amber O'Brien, Dietician, Mango Clinic
@mangoclinic
5. Get up earlier
It may not be easy at first, but getting up earlier is something you have direct control over that can go a long way in boosting your productivity.
The early morning hours are the best time of day to get creative, focused work done before the day's demands and distractions take over. A good rule of thumb is to devote your mornings (I like to call them “MITs”) to your most important tasks.
Like improving any habit, start small and build up. Try getting up 15 minutes earlier than you normally do for a week, then try 30 minutes, then an hour. Little by little it will become a natural habit that increases your odds of getting things done.
Sean Barker, Author, The Easy Eating Diet
@sbarker78
There are many strategies for optimizing your mental energy, but when you need a quick productivity pick-me-up, KOR’s Focus Fuel can lead the way. We’ve packed brain-boosting, stress-relieving adaptogens, like Bacopa, Rhodiola root, and lion’s mane mushroom, into this organic prickly pear–driven juice shot for you to enjoy (instead of that second cup of coffee).
Ready to reclaim the precious hours of your day? Add KOR’s Focus Fuel to your productivity routine!