Cognitive Hygiene: Keeping Your Brain in the Best Working Order…

I was chatting to one of my patients who works in a super-stressful corporate environment.  He mentioned that he practices ‘Cognitive hygiene’.  I hadn’t heard this terminology before, so I decided to do a little reading 😉

Cognitive hygiene refers to the intentional practice of maintaining a “clean” mental environment to optimise focus, memory, and productivity.  Just as physical hygiene keeps your body healthy, cognitive hygiene minimises mental clutter, distractions, and overload that can impair cognitive functioning.

If you practice cognitive hygiene you cultivate habits and systems that promote clear thinking and mental efficiency, which is great for reducing brain fog and maintaining long-term mental acuity.

So how do you do it?

Practical Strategies for Cognitive Hygiene

Limit Information Overload

We live in a digitally connected and fast-paced world.  The average professional needs to respond to over 30 e-mails, 20 instant messages, and 13 texts per day while doing their normal work-related tasks.  Every one of us is exposed to more than 6 000 advertisements daily, and on average we lose 20% of time (a full day every week) sifting through information to get our jobs done.

This modern phenomenon of information overload can be overwhelming and exhausting, and can contribute to anxiety, decision-fatigue, difficulties with memory and concentration, and reduced productivity.

It’s important to be aware of your exposure and vulnerability to information overload, and apply the following two strategies to mitigate the effects:

• Declutter Your Digital Environment:

Organise emails and digital files; use tools like folders or productivity apps so information is easy to find and accessible.  Unsubscribe from unnecessary newsletters or notifications so you have fewer distractions and unnecessary ‘pings’ to deal with.

• Practice Selective Information Consumption:

Limit the time you spend scrolling through social media or consuming negative news.  Choose high-quality, relevant sources of information instead of trying to process everything.  Subscribe only to relevant and useful applications that add value to your day rather than wasting your precious time.

Single-tasking vs. Multitasking

I’ve found myself in this mess often:  Juggling several tasks at the same time.  Thinking of multiple problems that need to be solved.  Scrambling to get those 6 items on the to-do list done all at once.  Only to realise that I’m getting nowhere at a glacial pace and leaving a trail of mistakes behind me.  Total waste of time and energy.

It would be far more effective to:

• Focus on one task at a time rather than trying to manage multiple projects at once.
• Use techniques like the Pomodoro Method (25 minutes of focused work followed by a 5-minute break).
• Prioritise tasks based on urgency and importance using tools like the Eisenhower Matrix (more info on this at the end of this article).

Set Boundaries for Cognitive Energy

Even though your brain is a miraculous and powerful organ, it does not have an unlimited capacity.  We all get tired, and we all sometimes hit a wall.  But, if you manage your cognitive energy well, conserving it for necessary and urgent tasks, you will find yourself achieving more in less time and with greater satisfaction.

• Create “Focus Zones”:

Dedicate certain times of the day for deep, focused work.  If you are an ‘early bird’, then the morning hours would be best when your mind is fresh.  If you are more of a night owl, then set aside time later in your day for activities that are more cognitively demanding.

• Avoid Decision Fatigue:

Plan your day the night before to reduce decision-making pressure.  Know what you will do when so your next day is already structured.  Try to automate small and less life-changing decisions like meal prep and what you are going to wear.

Minimize Distractions

Distraction is the opposite of productivity.  If you want to get things done, you need to be focused and intentional.

In my patient consultations, my phone is on silent and out of sight.  There are no audible notifications on my computer, and my watch does not vibrate every time I get a message.  I need to be focused on my patient and their problem or challenge to help them find a solution.

Eliminating distraction requires discipline but it is extremely powerful and allows you to focus your energy on the task at hand.  We seem to have forgotten what life was like before the invention of the internet and smartphones.  It’s OK to check your messages later and catch up on e-mails once you’ve finished the more important tasks.

Here are some practical ways you can reduce distractions:

• Turn Off Notifications:

Silence unnecessary alerts on your phone, email, and apps.

• Create a Distraction-free Workspace:

Declutter your desk and work in a quiet environment.  Use noise-cancelling headphones or calming background music to maintain focus.  Headphones help to block out sound, but also offer a visual cue to other people that you are busy and don’t want to be disturbed.

• Time-block Social Media or Emails:

Set designated periods to check emails or social media instead of allowing constant interruptions.  You can schedule this in your diary, like an appointment.

Organise Your Environment

Probably one of the most effective (and easiest) strategies to improve your cognitive performance doesn’t have anything to do with your brain, but rather your physical environment.

Imagine an office space where there are piles of loose papers flapping about, post-it notes everywhere, a dead pot plant in the corner, spiderwebs dangling from the bookshelf where books and journals are dumped in no order whatsoever.  Chaos.  Being in that type of disorganised environment causes mental distress and clouded thoughts.

Whereas, a neat, well-organised and fresh environment is conducive to clear and creative thought and certainly more productivity.

• Tidy Up Regularly:

Keep your physical and digital workspaces organised and neat.  Throw away junk.  Organise your resources so that the tools you use regularly are most easily accessible.  Make your environment comfortable and aesthetically pleasing.  Remember that your eyes connect directly to your brain.

• Use Visual Cues:

Add a calendar or to-do list where you can see it to avoid overloading your memory.  A desk or wall calendar is a really useful resource for longer-term planning.

Practice Mental Decluttering

In 2020, researchers at Queen’s University in Canada used brain imaging technology to identify when a thought begins and ends.  Their research showed that the average person has more than 6 200 thoughts each day.  That’s a lot of thinking.

Many of these thoughts are irrelevant, unproductive, repetitive, perhaps even negative and therefore not useful.  It can help you feel more in control if you de-clutter your brain by externalising your thoughts or examining your thoughts in an objective way so you give space and importance to those thoughts that serve you.

Here are two practical strategies you can implement:

• Brain Dumping:

At the end of the day, write down all your thoughts, ideas, or concerns in a journal to clear your mind.  This can help you feel more relaxed before bed, and improve your sleep quality.

• Weekly Reflection:

Review your progress and challenges to identify areas of improvement.  It’s always a good idea to write things down.  Keeping a written note of your experiences allows you to reflect with greater objectivity, and clarity.  You can brainstorm solutions and eradicate the pressure to remember everything.

Follow a Routine

As humans, we are governed by the natural rhythms of the Earth.  We are designed to be awake and moving around when the sun is up, and when the sun disappears… we are meant to wind down and sleep.  Routine is literally imprinted into our DNA.

Having a predictable routine reduces the mental burden of decision-making and frees up cognitive energy for higher-level tasks.

Try to maintain consistent schedules for work, meals, exercise, and sleep, and you will enjoy a greater sense of control over your time, and experience less stress.

Train Your Brain

Your brain is truly an amazing organ.  There are literally hundreds of thousands of reactions and neurological interactions happening in your brain every second of every day.  It is the most metabolically active organ in your body, and I would argue that your brain is your most important organ.

If your heart stops beating, that’s the end (maybe Heaven, if you believe in that) but if your heart continues to beat and your brain doesn’t work, that’s hell.  It’s important to appreciate your brain and exercise it so you can maximise its incredible potential and prevent it from losing function with time.

• Do Cognitive Exercises Regularly to Stimulate Your Brain:

Engage in activities like puzzles, Sudoku, crosswords, or memory games.  These challenge your brain and stimulate neurological flexibility and efficiency.

• Learn New Skills:

Challenge your brain with new hobbies, languages, or creative tasks to build neural connections.  Although you cannot replace nerve cells in your brain if they are damaged or die, you can stimulate the creation of new nerve pathways.  Your brain has an incredible capacity for learning and adaptation.

Rest Your Brain

If you want to enjoy optimal mental clarity, focus, recall and productivity… You need to acknowledge the fact that your brain can get tired and needs rest sometimes.    It’s a good idea to take short, regular breaks throughout the day to avoid mental fatigue, and schedule longer breaks during periods of intense focus to recharge.  Spend downtime doing activities that refresh your mind, like reading for pleasure, listening to music, exercising or spending time in nature.

Your brain health is super important.  If you want to enjoy your best life, you need to prioritise mental wellness.  By adopting these ‘cognitive hygiene’ strategies, you can maintain a mentally “clean” environment, reduce mental fatigue, and boost your productivity.

Now, about that Eisenhower Matrix

This time management tool was inspired by the former US President Eisenhower who was quite a busy guy and he emphasized the need to distinguish between tasks that are urgent and important, prioritizing tasks that are urgent and important over those that can wait until later, or can be delegated or ignored completely.

How it works:  The matrix is divided into four quadrants and tasks are categorised according to their level of urgency and importance.

QUADRANT 1:  URGENT + IMPORTANT

These are critical tasks that require immediate attention.  There are usually serious consequences if you don’t get these done on time.  An example would be:  A medical emergency, or meeting a critical work deadline.

Deal with these issues immediately yourself.  Get it done.

QUADRANT 2:  IMPORTANT BUT NOT URGENT

These are important for your long-term success but they don’t require immediate attention.  You can schedule these tasks and set aside time to do them later.  But, be proactive and disciplined about scheduling them so that they don’t become urgent and cause you stress later on.

Examples include:  Exercise and self-care.  Long-term project planning.  Professional development / learning.

QUADRANT 3:  URGENT BUT NOT IMPORTANT

These are tasks that require urgent attention but don’t contribute much to you achieving your goals.  Try to delegate or automate these tasks whenever possible.

Examples include:  Attending unnecessary meetings and responding to minor enquiries.

QUADRANT FOUR:  NOT URGENT AND NOT IMPORTANT

Time-wasting activities that provide little or no value.  They distract you from your more critical activities, encourage procrastination and result in stress.  You need to eliminate these (or minimise them as much as possible).

Examples are:  Scrolling on social media or watching endless TV series.

If you apply the Eisenhower Matrix to your to-do list, it helps you organise tasks effectively, which reduces stress and encourages you to focus on long-term goals rather than constantly reacting to urgencies.  Your time management will improve dramatically if you eliminate unproductive activities from your routine.

Click here to download a worksheet explaining the Eisenhower Matrix which you can refer to whenever you need to prioritise tasks.