Something that everyone wants, but not enough for everyone

"Doctor, I can't get a single task done on time. I'm always overwhelmed with work. I feel extremely tired and stressed all day long."

Nimal, who came to my clinic the other day, said with great frustration. Although he had been busy all day, he had not been able to successfully complete any work at the end of the day.

I smiled and told Nimal, "Don't worry, Nimal, the biggest problem we have is that we don't have enough time . Everyone has 24 hours. But if we manage our time in a way that suits our brain function, we can do these things without stress."

So today, let's talk about 3 simple ways to use every minute of your day correctly, without stress, based on medical science and brain function.

1. Time Blocking

When we have a lot of work to do, we tend to multitask. For example, checking our phone messages and emails every 5 minutes while writing an important report at the office.

Our brain can only focus on one task at a time. When you switch from one task to another, it takes time for the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that makes decisions, to get used to the new task. In medical terms, this is called Cognitive Switching Cost .

This causes brain efficiency to decrease by about 40% and leads to mental fatigue quickly.

How to do it?

Divide your daily tasks into separate time blocks.

• For example: Set aside 9:00 - 10:00 AM to write an important report (turn off your phone and email completely during that time).
• Then set aside 20 minutes to answer emails.

2. Eisenhower Matrix

This method was created by former US President Dwight Eisenhower. When we have work to do, we tend to rush after urgent things. But not all urgent things are really important to us.

When we are constantly rushing to do things, our body's stress-controlling system (HPA Axis) is activated and the stress hormone cortisol is released in excess. When cortisol levels increase, we often feel irritable, our chest is pounding, and our body feels tired.

The Eisenhower Method divides your work into 4 parts:

1. Urgent and Important (Do First): Essential work that needs to be done today (e.g. an urgent medical check-up, an important assignment that needs to be handed in today).
2. Important, but not urgent (Schedule): Tasks that can be scheduled for later (e.g., exercising, preparing a healthy meal, reading a book).
3. Urgent, but not important (Delegate):Tasks that can be done by someone else (e.g. paying bills, ordering groceries).
4. Eliminate: Tasks that should be completely eliminated (e.g., hours of scrolling through social media, playing computer games).

This way, you plan important things first, which reduces your body's cortisol levels and allows you to work calmly.

3. Pomodoro Technique

Our brain has a maximum amount of time it can focus. According to Ultradian Rhythms , a natural biological rhythm that operates in our body, the brain definitely needs a short break after 90 to 120 minutes.

The Pomodoro Method is a method that works in harmony with this natural rhythm of the brain.

How to do it?

1. Choose a task you want to do, set a timer for 25 minutes, and work on it continuously.
2. When the 25 minutes are up, take a short 5-minute break (drink some water during this break, get up and move around a bit).
3. After doing 4 rounds of 25 minutes each in this way, take a long break of 15 - 30 minutes.

These short breaks release dopamine, a hormone that causes pleasure and interest in the brain, in a systematic manner. This allows you to work energetically throughout the day without feeling bored.

Do's & Don'ts

Scientific sources (References)

• 📚 Get help with stress - National Health Service (NHS) Guidelines
• 📚 Training improves multitasking performance by increasing the speed of information processing in human prefrontal cortex - PubMed Central (PMC)
• 📚The developing brain in a multitasking world - PubMed Central (PMC)

The most important take-home message

• Multitasking increases the cognitive switching cost in the prefrontal cortex, reducing productivity by about 40%.
• By planning your daily work and prioritizing it according to Time Blocking and the Eisenhower Method, you can reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
• The Pomodoro method, which provides a 5-minute break after 25 minutes of work, preserves the Ultradian Rhythms of the brain and ensures the regular release of the dopamine hormone, allowing you to work diligently throughout the day.