Your brain can be your own personal superhero…or your own secret supervillain. Fortunately, we have the choice to decide which one we’d like. By taking control of your mind and taking care of your brain power, you’ll only need a tiny little cape for what I call “Your Superhero Brain.” Here’s how to get your mind functioning like the man of steel feels.
5 Effective Steps For Boosting Your Brain Power
Step 1: Launch Your Morning
Kick-off the day right! Well, not literally. You don’t have to wake up kicking, but it’s good to have a morning routine.
Use the early hours of the morning to prime your brain for a productive day. That means no mindless scrolling through Twitter or the news – save that for later. An excellent way to start is by meditating or exercising. If you’re an overachiever, try to make time for both. This will supercharge your positive mindset too.
Trust me, once you get the routine down, it will probably become one of your favorite times of the day. When I was younger, I would sleep the morning away, sometimes into the early afternoon – shhh. I’d wake up groggy, wrinkly, and completely disheveled both mentally and physically. Not a good look (or feeling)! By implementing a morning routine, now I feel like a fresh-pressed linen blouse and would never go back to the old me.
Related: 5 Strategies To Perfect Your Morning Routine And Make Every Day a Good Day
Step 2: If You Can See It, You Can Be It
One thing I always recommend is to take 3 minutes to visualize your day. Picture a perfect day filled with success. Mentally walk through all critical tasks and meetings, seeing them with the positive outcome you want.
Here’s why – visualization taps into your subconscious mind, setting you up for a more predictable outcome. It’s kind of like a deja vu, where you have already seen the success, so it’s easier to make it a reality.
With that said, the more details you add to this exercise the better. See what you’re wearing, how you’re standing, what the room looks like, how the other person is responding to you.
Step 3: The Brain Power Diet
At lunchtime, eat light – many suggest only fruit until lunch (however, I’m definitely not a health expert) – but I can tell you the lighter the lunch, the better the feeling.
I learned the concept of fruit only until noon, from the energy powerhouse, Jesse Itzler. Heard of him? He’s the hubby of the woman who keeps our tummies under control, Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx. When you hear Itzler talk, you wonder, has he found the natural form of crack?? Turns out, he’s incredibly disciplined about protecting his brain calories.
Are you wondering how amplifying his brain superpower has benefitted him? Well, he’s a rapper, music producer, co-founder of Marquis Jet and Zico Coconut Water, which is just a start to his plethora of accomplishments. Itzler says the best bet is on yourself, so make sure you’re optimizing who you are through the steps suggested in this article!
Related: Top 10 Foods To Boost Your Brain Power And Health
Step 4: Operate From Your Zone of Genius
Here’s a biggie: Spend as much time as possible in your Zone of Genius (ZOG). Your ZOG is what you’re gifted or skilled at without much effort and that you enjoy. A good ratio is 80/20. A better balance is 100/1 – but do the best you can!
Here’s why – operating from your skillset helps avoid brain energy suckers. Have you noticed how mentally exhausted you feel when you work on something you hate or are not naturally skilled at, maybe it’s taxes or writing? It’s because it’s burning up your brain’s calories. Unfortunately, that doesn’t correlate with your waistline!
I remember once trying to make sense of some directions from Ikea on how to put together a desk. It should have been so simple, but I couldn’t figure it out. I spent an hour and a half reading the directions only to realize I could have paid somebody $20 to do it in no time. In this case, my Zone of Genius should have directed me to open my wallet.
Step 5: Systemization: The Game Changer For Boosting Your Brain’s Potential
Imagine trying to do anything without a system. Even brushing your teeth would be a disaster. You know to open the toothpaste, put it on your brush, and get brushing. It’s the same with everything (except you don’t need to rinse or floss). The more systems you have in place for projects, the smoother life becomes.
Create a detailed ‘System Action Plan’ for as much of your routine work as possible, so you know what to do next without thinking. Examples of plans you might want to have a process for: blog writing, marketing, sales, office management, etc.
If you want a deep dive into System Action Plans, check out E-Myth, by Michael E. Gerber. Use these systems to help delegate to others – especially the tasks that aren’t in your ZOG.
Related: 22 Tips To Keep Your Brain Sharp and Young At Any Age
Once you get your brain-boosting bad self going, you’ll wonder how you could have gone so long without doing all of these simple to implement strategies. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I will brush my teeth (and floss!).
Written By Midori Verity Originally Appeared On Midori Verity
