{"id":6336,"date":"2019-04-29T05:10:50","date_gmt":"2019-04-29T09:10:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/?p=6336"},"modified":"2019-05-01T00:11:50","modified_gmt":"2019-05-01T04:11:50","slug":"5-ways-create-productive-mind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/2019\/04\/5-ways-create-productive-mind.html","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways to Create a Productive Mind"},"content":{"rendered":"

Unfortunately, we live in a time where it\u2019s almost impossible to avoid distractions. There are so many things you can do just using a device that you keep in your pocket, from checking emails and responding to text messages to spending time on social media platforms. These distractions may seem harmless at first, but if you closely observe how much time you spend on your smartphone at work, you\u2019ll instantly see that this habit is causing you to underperform at work. Of course, the problem isn\u2019t just in smartphones \u2013 there are a number of other things that can harm your productivity as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth noting that although a lack of productivity may not seem like a big deal at first, it can ultimately cause a number of problems. First of all, you\u2019ll start feeling overwhelmed and stressed out throughout most of the day. This amount of negativity may cause damage to your personal relationships and even your physical and mental health. Keep in mind that excess\u00a0<\/span>stress is linked to some of the leading causes of death<\/span><\/a>. Thankfully, you won\u2019t have to worry about problems like that if you just learn some discipline and work on increasing your productivity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Exercise at Work<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to a\u00a0<\/span>study<\/span><\/a> published by the American Psychological Association Center for Organizational Excellence, exercising at the office can boost your productivity. Ideally, you should aim to work out at least 30 minutes per day. However, if you can\u2019t fit that into your schedule, then just exercise as much as you can. After all, it\u2019s better to do a 15-minute workout than do nothing at all. The great thing about doing a workout at the office is that you\u2019ll no longer have to sacrifice personal time to stay physically active. Aside from making you more productive, regular exercise will help you reduce the risk of both physical and mental health problems.<\/span><\/p>\n

Learn Something New<\/strong><\/p>\n

Taking the time to learn something new when you\u2019re already on a busy schedule probably doesn\u2019t sound like a good idea. Nevertheless, it\u2019s an excellent way of rewiring your brain to become more productive. In order for this to work, you\u2019ll need to avoid distractions and use your free time to learn something new. For example, you can download an app that\u2019ll help you learn a foreign language. Each time you find yourself grabbing your smartphone to do something that would be distracting you from your work just open the app and take a few minutes to learn some new words.<\/span><\/p>\n

Get Better Equipment<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you can explain to your boss how better equipment would increase the employees\u2019 productivity, they will gladly invest in it. Similarly, if you\u2019re a small business owner with your plate constantly full, then you should do some research to see if any piece of equipment could make you and your employees more productive. For instance,\u00a0<\/span>Plantronics headphones<\/span><\/a> are a great option if you spend a lot of your phone. Being stuck to a desk because you have to talk over the phone when you could be doing other tasks at the same time can have a negative effect on your efficiency.<\/span><\/p>\n

Take Breaks<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many people underestimate the power of\u00a0<\/span>taking regular breaks<\/span><\/a>. If you force yourself to work on a task for hours at a time without taking a single break, your productivity will ultimately plummet. It\u2019s a good idea to take a 5-minute break for every 55 minutes of work. However, you shouldn\u2019t spend these five minutes on social media or texting. Instead, take this time to relax and cool down.<\/span><\/p>\n

Learn to Say No<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you already have your plate full, you certainly don\u2019t need to be doing other people\u2019s work as well. It\u2019s definitely a good thing if you want to help your coworkers, but you should do this only if you have the time. Don\u2019t feel obligated to say \u201cyes\u201d just because someone asked for your help. In case you don\u2019t have time, simply say that you\u2019re busy at the moment and that you\u2019ll be able to provide assistance once you\u2019re done with your work. In most cases, the coworkers who ask you for help will solve the problem before you finish your tasks.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Unfortunately, we live in a time where it\u2019s almost impossible to avoid distractions. There are so many things you can do just using a device that you keep in your pocket, from checking emails and responding to text messages to spending time on social media platforms. These distractions may seem harmless at first, but if…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":224,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-childrens-dreams"],"yoast_head":"\n5 Ways to Create a Productive Mind - Dream Gates<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 Ways to Create a Productive Mind - Dream Gates\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Unfortunately, we live in a time where it\u2019s almost impossible to avoid distractions. There are so many things you can do just using a device that you keep in your pocket, from checking emails and responding to text messages to spending time on social media platforms. These distractions may seem harmless at first, but if…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/2019\/04\/5-ways-create-productive-mind.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Dream Gates\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-04-29T09:10:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-05-01T04:11:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Robert Moss\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"5 Ways to Create a Productive Mind - Dream Gates","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"nofollow"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"5 Ways to Create a Productive Mind - Dream Gates","og_description":"Unfortunately, we live in a time where it\u2019s almost impossible to avoid distractions. There are so many things you can do just using a device that you keep in your pocket, from checking emails and responding to text messages to spending time on social media platforms. These distractions may seem harmless at first, but if…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/2019\/04\/5-ways-create-productive-mind.html","og_site_name":"Dream Gates","article_published_time":"2019-04-29T09:10:50+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-05-01T04:11:50+00:00","author":"Robert Moss","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/2019\/04\/5-ways-create-productive-mind.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/2019\/04\/5-ways-create-productive-mind.html","name":"5 Ways to Create a Productive Mind - Dream Gates","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/#website"},"datePublished":"2019-04-29T09:10:50+00:00","dateModified":"2019-05-01T04:11:50+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/#\/schema\/person\/941740e4115cce34706832d06aa76b6b"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/2019\/04\/5-ways-create-productive-mind.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/2019\/04\/5-ways-create-productive-mind.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/2019\/04\/5-ways-create-productive-mind.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"5 Ways to Create a Productive Mind"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/","name":"Dream Gates","description":"Beliefnet Voices - Robert Moss","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/#\/schema\/person\/941740e4115cce34706832d06aa76b6b","name":"Robert Moss","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/777\/7770e3a2cde4458084d9a31237336b92x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/777\/7770e3a2cde4458084d9a31237336b92x96.jpg","caption":"Robert Moss"},"description":"Robert Moss describes himself as a dream teacher, on a path for which there has been no career track in our culture. He is the creator of Active Dreaming, an original synthesis of dreamwork and shamanism. Born in Australia, he survived three near-death experiences in childhood. He leads popular seminars all over the world, including a three-year training for teachers of Active Dreaming. A former lecturer in ancient history at the Australian National University, he is a best-selling novelist, journalist and independent scholar. His nine books on dreaming, shamanism and imagination include Conscious Dreaming, Dreamways of the Iroquois, The Dreamer's Book of the Dead, The Three \"\"Only\"\" Things, The Secret History of Dreaming, Dreamgates, Active Dreaming and Dreaming the Soul Back Home: Shamanic Dreaming for Healing and Becoming Whole. His most recent book is The Boy Who Died and Came Back: Adventures of a Dream Archaeologist in the Multiverse. Over the past 20 years, he has led seminars at the Esalen Institute, Kripalu, the Omega Institute, the New York Open Center, Bastyr University, John F. Kennedy University, Meriter Hospital, and many other centers and institutions. He has taught depth workshops in Active Dreaming in the UK, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Romania, Brazil and Austria and leads a three-year training for teachers of Active Dreaming. He hosts the \"\"Way of the Dreamer\"\" radio show at www.healthylife.net. He has appeared on many TV and radio shows, ranging from Charlie Rose and the Today show to Coast to Coast and the Diane Rehm show on NPR. His articles on dreaming have been published in media ranging from Parade to Shaman's Drum.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.mossdreams.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/author\/rmoss"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/224"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6336"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6336\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6337,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6336\/revisions\/6337"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dreamgates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}