When it comes to technical careers which revolve around knowledge and critical thinking, most will consider things like education, courses and experience to be the only methods for improvement. But this misses a fundamental fact about work/life balance, in that it works both ways. Managing our diet, stress, brain health and other factors that affect critical thinking can have a huge impact on our ability to be the very best in our careers.

In this article I will explore some topics that I have personally investigated, experimented with and integrated in to my life, to make me a more valuable employee and asset, not just through knowledge but through lifestyle.

Obviously it goes without saying that good sleep and exercise are beneficial, so hopefully the below will be additional points to help you to further advance your potential in a knowledge-based career.

Minimalism

I’ve been an aspiring ‘minimalist’ for a few years now. A better term might be ‘intentionalist’.

Everything we own, whether physical or otherwise (thoughts, worries, desires, digital clutter) contributes to our overall state of mind, including our ability to concentrate at work.

We all know that keeping a clean desk is good for concentration; less visual distractions means our subconscious can focus on what we’re doing a little better, but have you ever considered the effect of things that are not immediately in our peripheral whilst we work? All those items strewn about the garage and attic, the hundreds of trinkets we hoard on display around the house, that to-do list on the kitchen pin board with tens of hours of tasks on it. What is the subconscious affect of those things on us, whilst we attempt to work? Maybe it would be best to get those tasks completed or set aside, and those items cleared out of the house.

This is not to say that clearing away those things is appropriate for everyone; different people have different distractions. Whilst one person works well in an environment with lots of artwork around them, for example, someone else would work best with no such distractions about. Take time to consider what works for you. Don’t let things outside of your career pile up, as it will have an effect on your ability to work well.

Minimalism also includes non-physical items such as commitments. Saying yes to everything can be just as detrimental to your focus as sitting in a room full of junk; the tasks that really need our attention get buried in the junk of the mind.
When committing to new workloads, at work or anywhere else, really take time to consider whether it’s appropriate to add them to your schedule.
As per the section on this page entitled “Multi-tasking doesn’t work”, the Human mind is most efficient when focused on one thing at a time. It’s OK to put aside something that is a low priority so that important workloads get dealt with, with a focused mind.

Monkey mind

Buddhism calls the inability to control one’s thoughts ‘monkey mind’. We all suffer with monkey mind; that endless stream of thoughts we have, often worrying about what could be in the future, things we may have done better in the past, things we want, people’s opinions of us, etc.

One way to control this Monkey Mind is Meditation. Science has proven, many times over through many studies, that Meditation improves focus, helps us control emotions such as anger and frustration, and relieves stress.

If you haven’t already, as counter-intuitive as it may seem, meditating for at least 20 minutes each day will actually save you time overall.
Your mind will be calmer, your focus will improve and in turn your ability to do a technical job will improve. I personally meditate during my lunch period (working from home), so that I can go in to the afternoon’s workload with a fresh mind.

Meditation also helps us manage stress. Small amounts of stress can be good for us, providing motivation towards an end goal, but too much stress is obviously detrimental to our concentration as well as our health. Meditation therefore bridges over to both sides of a work, life balance.

“If you don’t have time to meditate for 20 minutes, you should meditate for an hour.”
- A Zen proverb

Multi-tasking doesn’t work

We’ve all seen those job adverts, or people’s CVs, where multi-tasking is mentioned.
“We require an excellent multi-tasker” or “I am great at multi-tasking”.
Funnily enough, multi-tasking is a terrible idea.

Science confirms, time and again, that Humans are not good multi-taskers. The best work is done when we focus on one thing at a time;

Jobs often involve unavoidable multi-tasking, but in those spaces where we have the ability to choose our workload, keep this in mind; it’s better to concentrate on one thing only, get it done to a high degree of accuracy and quality, avoiding error, and then move on to the next task.
I also take this in to account when organising my calendar and time-boxing.

A Second Brain

Whilst it’s important for administrators to remember as much as possible, the Human brain is only capable of creating so many strong synapse connections between neurons at any one time. The rest remain weak, unless regularly accessed, which in turn makes things harder to recall (https://neuroscience.ucdavis.edu/news/making-and-breaking-connections-brain).
We cannot immediately access every single bit of information given to us over an entire career, so that’s where the importance of a ‘Second Brain’ comes in. This is essentially good note taking and creation of knowledge articles, but keep in mind that it’s just as important to be able to access the information quickly and easily; note taking is only useful if you can access those notes when you need to.

I personally use an application called Notion (https://www.notion.com/), and have done so for several years. Over that time, I’ve created a plethora of articles to assist me (and to share with colleagues) in day-to-day tasks.
Examples include useful information about in-house applications and their owners, non-standard mount points and their uses, company-specific ‘red tape’ requirements for tasks, firewall rules required for applications and contact details of people who are knowledgeable in areas I am not.

Taking a bit of time to take these notes actually saves time overall.
My own method is;

  1. As opportunities arise, take brief notes and save emails where a knowledge article would be useful
  2. Take an hour out of your work week to turn those notes in to knowledge articles (in my case, on Notion)
  3. Share the knowledge articles with colleagues if appropriate
  4. Be sure to create a backup of your ‘Second Brain’ on a regular basis

Supplementation and Nutrition

I’m not a medical expert, so take what you read under this header at your own risk.
The foods and supplements I specifically focus on getting in my diet, as below, all have reputable studies citing them as great sources for brain health and memory retention, both important factors in a technology-based career.
Rather than cite studies here, simply go on to the pubmed website and search for any of the below for evidence, there are a plethora of studies about all of these available.

Lion’s Mane Mushrooms

Lion’s Mane mushroom extract is great for brain health because it helps grow and protect nerve cells. It can improve memory, focus, and mental clarity by boosting something called nerve growth factor (NGF), a protein essential for brain cell growth, repair, and overall function. Studies suggest that Lion’s Mane may help improve memory, focus, and mental clarity while also reducing inflammation in the brain. All of these benefits are clearly very beneficial to someone with a very knowledge-based career.

Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha is great for the brain because it helps reduce stress, improve focus, and support memory. It lowers cortisol, the stress hormone, which can protect brain cells from damage. It also boosts brain function by promoting relaxation and reducing anxiety, making it easier to think clearly. Some studies suggest it may even help slow down age-related mental decline.

Ginkgo Biloba

Ginkgo Biloba is good for the brain because it improves blood flow, which helps deliver more oxygen and nutrients to brain cells. This can boost memory, focus, and overall mental clarity. It also has powerful antioxidants that protect the brain from damage and may help slow down age-related cognitive decline. Some studies suggest it can reduce brain fog and support better thinking, especially under stress.

DHA and EPA Omegas

DHA is a key part of brain cells, helping with memory, focus, and learning, while EPA helps reduce inflammation, which can protect against mental decline.

Turmeric and Black Pepper

Turmeric is great for the brain because it contains curcumin, a powerful antioxidant that reduces inflammation and supports memory and mood.
Consuming black pepper alongside the Turmeric helps the body absorb curcumin much better, making the benefits stronger.

Conclusion

All of the above points, added to my lifestyle, I feel make me a more valuable asset to any employer of technical and knowledge based positions.

By keeping my brain and therefore memory healthy, taking the time to take extensive notes, managing stress and focusing on one thing at a time, I give myself an edge that can make all the difference in my day-to-day career.

Hopefully some of this knowledge will help you too.

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