Using neuroscience to manage your time

In the face of pressure, our instinct is to study or work as much as we can for as long as we
can. So why do we still feel as if we have not accomplished enough at the end of the day?

Neuroscientist and professor at the Manhattan NeuroLeadership Institute, Josh Davis,

suggests that, rather than focusing on what is urgent, people should decide what matters most
and pinpoint the best time to do it. "It's really about being highly effective as far as it's
reasonable for a human being" Davis says. He believes that, rather tha making a to-do list and
working through each item. pople should decide on the main aim for the day and workout when
they are most likely to achieve peak product y Then this time can be devoted to the task with the
highest prionty, such as writing an essay or revising

It is obviously impossible to work intensively all the time. so simple tasks not requiring
much attention- emails or paperwork - can be done in any 'downtime. However there are times
when the extent to which small tasks can tax our brains is underestimated. Sending an email, for
example, may appear simple on the surface but can involve a decision which, although trivial,
can cause mental exhaustion. In this case, it is better to reorder the day and deal with less
pressing concerns only after the work target has been achieved.

The time of day when people are most alert varies from person to person but as a general
rule the first two hours after waking up are not conducive to serious study Research measuring
attention, verbal reasoning and reaction times has also shown that when our body temperature
falls below 37 degrees C, the brain is not at its full potential so the worst time to do anything
involving thinking is between midnight and 6am. This is almost as bad as the afternoon slump
between 2pm and 4pm, which is more to do with feeling cold than a heavy lunch.

Rather than being afraid of getting distracted, just be careful how you do it. These days,
when people decide to take a break, they tend to go on social media", says Davis, "and then they
spend too much time there." Instead, they should go back to day-dreaming, where it is possible
to stop thinking about work without really focusing on anything else. This allows for creative
thinking and the integration between different parts of the brain, which cannot occur when the
mind is required to focus on something specific. Neuroscience has revealed much about the
mind-body connection and how exercise can be used as a tool. "It's a different way of seeing
exercise," says Davis. "Usually we think about how in the long term it will make us healthy and
look better but this is focused on the short term." A short session-20 minutes or so - of moderate
exercise will be sufficient. It does not need to be a lengthy gym visit. just running up and down
stairs or jogging on the spot can be an effective method of lessening tension and boosting
positive emotions.

Food that keeps blood-sugar levels stable will also help people to work most effectively,
says Davis. If people snack during the day, they should choose foods that contain fats such as
nuts and cheese rather than carbohydrates, to avoid blood-sugar spikes. Starting the day with
high-protein food such as eggs and toast will have a high impact on the neurotransmitters in the
brain. The amino acid tyrosine, which is found in proteins, will stimulate the transmitters
responsible for alertness and the calming protein

tryptophan will relax the brain. On meal breaks, people should eat only to 80 percent
capacity: people's best work will be done when they are slightly hungry but not starving Keep
hydrated and improve your mood by sipping water Just remember not to overdo caffeine, it may
improve your alertness but also minimizes concentration.
 Ensure you have a well-lit study space and that your desk space is clear, clutter is a
distraction and not a good one. as it reminds you of uncompleted work. A clear desk also gives
you room for increased movement, whether sitting with your arms behind your head or your
feet up. You could alternate between standing and sitting

Finally, try to get eight hours sleep a night. While we sleep our brains process and retain
information, consolidating facts and reinforcing how to perform tasks. It also rejuvenates us
both physically and mentally.
 The learning brain

For centuries, scientists and philosophers have been fascinated by the brain, until recently
viewed as nearly incomprehensible. Two thousand five hundred years ago Hippocrates argued
that the brain rather than the heart, which is what his contemporaries believed, is the seal of
thought, sensation, emotion and cognition. In the 17th and 18th centuries, anatomists began
depicting the structure of the brain with increasing accuracy but it was not until the 19th century
that it was confirmed that nerves and muscles, generate electrical impulses. All of this paved the
way for the modern era of neuroscience, beginning with the work of Spanish anatomist Ramon y
Cajal at the dawn of the 20th century: he suggested that our abilities depend on the way
neurons are connected, not to any special features of the cells themselves. And in recent years,
due to the accelerating pace of research in neurological and behavioural science along with the
development of new research techniques, scientists have begun to understand much more
about the 100 billion neurons which, along with trillions of neural connections, construct the
most intricate organ of the human body, weighing three pounds and using a fifth of a person's
blood supply.

Reading, learning, pattern recognition and so much more, all begin with the main type of
brain cell and fundamental building block of the brain - the neuron. All sensations, movements,
thoughts, memories and emotions are the result of very rapid messages that one of these nerve
cells sends to another. Neurons themselves consist of three parts: each one has an input area
(the dendrites), an output area (the axon) and a cell body with a nucleus, where most of the
molecules that the neuron needs in order to survive are manufactured. Each neuron extends
into networks of many thousands of dendrites, thin short fibres resembling the branches of a
tree, which receive incoming electrical signals from a neighbouring cell and pass them into the
cell body. Once a signal arrives at the cell body, it may be suppressed or amplified by other
signals: eventually, as a result of all the incoming signals converging, a new one is triggered.

The processed information then travels down the neuron's long nerve fibre, known as the
axon, until it gets to another neuron, a muscle cell or cells in some other organ. Each neuron
generally has only one axon but it may split and branch 0 as many as 10,000 knog-ch' endings
that disperse signals, cells. The axon may be very short, adjacent cells in the brain, or much
longer, carrying electrical signals for up to a metre down to the spinal cord to move the arms,
legs and feet. An insulating sheath formed of cells wraps around the axon: this includes a fatty
molecule called myelin, which helps the signals travel faster and farther. The information is
transmitted by brief impulses carrying only 0.1 volts and lasting just a few thousandths of a
second but with the capacity-in just one second - to travel as far as 120 metres.

Arriving at the end of the axon, the electrical signals stop when they reach a synapse, the
narrow gap which separates a neuron or cell from the next one. Then follows the process of
synaptic transmission, in which the signal pauses to convert itself into chemical energy before
crossing the synapse and reaching the next neuron. These neurotransmitters as they then are
known attach themselves to receptors on the neighbouring cell, which may also change the
properties of the receiving cell. If the receiving cell is also a neuron, the neurotransmitter then
travels the length of the new cell until it reaches the synapse of another receptor cell and
repeats the process. The electrical signals and sprays of neurotransmitter that send the
messages somehow build into the complex mental feats that can perform functions such as
understanding language, remembering experiences from the past, and comprehending the
outside world. Disorders relating to neurotransmitters have been linked to depression,
Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's and a host of other conditions.

Both the brain and body need regular exercise if neurons are to remain sharp: to spur on
the brain to has, people should try activities such as learning a new make new neuronal
connections and protect the ones it language, solving mental puzzles and games, eating a
healthy diet and getting regular physical exercise.