A lot of people have a To-Do list loaded with tasks, errands, and projects that they intend to take care of either during the course of that day or at some reasonable time in the future. Most of the people who have lists like this tend to get a few things done, then transfer whatever was leftover to the new list they write up the following day, week, or month.
Typically, these lists end up getting so filled with uncompleted tasks that they become daunting. It can even get to the point where your bloated To-Do list is a source of stress. If something isn’t getting done it may be due to procrastination, or it’s simply something that just wasn’t important. Leaving trivial items on your To-Do list bogs down your brain capacity and starts causing you to feel things like worry and fear, which are the two most damaging emotions for the brain.
I encourage my clients to keep a Not-To-Do list. This type of list can actually have several different uses. First and foremost, it’s a sort of garbage can where you can dump meaningless tasks that probably shouldn’t have been on your To-Do list in the first place.
This turns the list into an exercise in prioritizing. It forces you to sit down and think about what you really need to get done, what you should do, and what really isn’t all that important. Then you can sharpen your focus and execute the important tasks in your life with fervor.
The other aspect of a Not-To-Do list is to serve as a reminder of bad habits you want to avoid. It might be eating too much sugar, having one too many drinks, or keeping up with your efforts to quit smoking. Writing down bad habits that you know you shouldn’t do can be an empowering way to break negative cycles in your life.
It can also be a tool to help you identify sources of stress in your life. You might include things on the list like ‘I’m not going to get angry in traffic today’, or ‘I’m not going to let my annoying co-worker get to me’.
When you think about all of these things and how they can all add up, a Not-To-Do list can be a very powerful stress management tool!
Many successful people, like Tim Ferris, are advocating Not-To-Do lists. It allows them to be much more proactive and productive than the actual To-Do-list. At the same time, it also invokes creativity and innovation, because you’re no longer bogging down your brain with things that are seemingly not that important.
Sit down and brainstorm about what is not serving you well on your list and in your life. Then compile a Not-To-Do list. You might find that it will become more important than your To-Do list. This is a really powerful tip to ramp up your brain for peak performance.
Contributor: Dr. Michael Trayford is a Board-Certified Chiropractic Neurologist and Founder of APEX Brain Centers in Asheville, NC. For more information, please visit https://apexbraincenters.com/.
The opinions expressed by contributing authors are not necessarily the opinions of the Dementia Society, Inc. We do not endorse nor guarantee products, comments, suggestions, links, or other forms of the content contained within blog posts that have been provided to us with permission, or otherwise. Dementia Society does not provide medical advice. Please consult your doctor. www.DementiaSociety.org
More and more people are becoming familiar with the term “mindful” or “mindfulness.” Being mindful is exactly what it sounds like. It’s what you’re consuming your mind with at that time.
When it comes to brain health, being mindful during our daily activities has many positive benefits. On an average day, our brains can be bogged down with to-do lists, family, career, and all the other things that compete for our time and take up space in our mind.
We can add to this the fact that many people spend a lot of time sitting in front of their computer, with multiple browser windows open, and their cell phone right by their side waiting for text messages.
With our brains being consumed with processing too much information, we often don’t take the time to be mindful of the basics of our body. Taking some quiet time to be mindful of our breathing can have a positive impact on the brain that goes beyond simple stress management.
The process itself doesn’t need to take a great deal of time out of each day. It could be as short as two minutes, five, 10, or 20 minutes at the maximum for beginners. A simple breathing exercise is a good place to start.
All you need to do is find a consistent time at some point in your day where you sit in a quiet place away from phones, browsers, kids, pets and all of your usual distractions, and simply listen to your breathing. Try to be mindful of your breathing. Feel the air coming in through your nose – how does it feel? Is it cold? Usually, it’s a little bit cooler coming in and a little bit warmer going out.
Let your breath out through your mouth. Be mindful of your lungs inflating. Where do they inflate? Is it the chest? Is it near the level of the stomach? We should be inflating at the stomach first and then the chest last (diaphragmatic breathing). Ahhh, feel better?
There is significant evidence that being mindful and taking your attention away from the distractions of the day and putting them on body processes like heart rate and breathing can be incredibly powerful. Shutting the brain down for a short amount of time helps it to heal and learn more efficiently. It’s about more than just sitting and listening to your breath. It’s about healing and pushing your brain in a positive direction.
Contributor: Dr. Michael Trayford is a Board-Certified Chiropractic Neurologist and Founder of APEX Brain Centers in Asheville, NC.
The opinions expressed by contributing authors are not necessarily the opinions of the Dementia Society, Inc. We do not endorse or guarantee products, comments, suggestions, links, or other forms of the content contained within blog posts that have been provided to us with permission, or otherwise. Dementia Society does not provide medical advice. Please consult your doctor.
