Businesses invest plenty of their resources in new technologies to increase employee productivity. However, many of them fail to realize that they could achieve their goal faster and more efficiently if they invested the same – if not more – amount of money in their people.
Studies found that brain training can offer significant gains for the workers and the organization as a whole when done the right way.
From improving productivity to aiding in stress management and supporting insomnia treatment in Dubai, exercises for the brain show significant potential in enhancing your work life.
Read on to learn the importance of brain training in the workplace and how it can help you and your company.
Brain Training: A Brief Overview of the Concept
Like any other part of the body, the brain can be trained to do things it wasn’t able to in the past. This is where the concept of brain training originated.
The idea is to trigger an improvement in cognitive function through compelling tasks and games. The process involves the application of a customized program to target areas of improvement, such as emotional recognition and short-term memory. Of course, the procedure is done after considering the unique make-up of the person’s brain.
Ultimately, brain training helps people live healthier lives and become the best version of themselves.
A good example of how brain training works:Children with attention deficit disorder (ADD) sometimes cannot pick up visual cues, so they can’t respond properly to certain situations (like saying sorry when they’ve upset someone).
With training, the kids learn how to recognize happiness, anger, and other emotions quickly, read the situation correctly and react appropriately.
The process begins with an assessment to determine a person’s cognitive strengths and weaknesses. Then, we design a program specific to the individual.
Brain training targets the weaker points of their cognitive function, which may include:
- Problem-solving skills
- Memory
- Emotion recognition
- Anger management
- Stress management
- Focus and attention
3 Ways Brain Training Help Improve Work Life
Brain training affects more than just the brain. It can also improve a person’s entire life.
But like students, workers may benefit more from cognitive exercises, especially since they learn and perform complex tasks for most of their waking hours.
Here are three ways your work life can improve with brain training:
1. Improved productivity
Productivity is arguably one of the most important things for employers. It determines how much work employees can complete and how well they can do their job.
Besides improving workplace conditions, implementing brain training is also a good way to support employee productivity. To prove this concept, a neurofeedback training center conducted a study with a major insurer to determine how effective the program is for office workers.
The employees who participated in the research spent 30 days on an interactive site designed for brain training. As a result, they experienced an improvement in productivity and less absenteeism.
The study also found improvements in the subjects’ stress management, positive thinking, and social skills. Researchers believe these changes last longer and may even become permanent if the participants follow the program for a minimum of 60 days.
2. Enhanced cognitive function
Doing the same thing repeatedly every day for years is tedious. It can make you lose your direction and motivation to work, which ultimately affects your overall productivity.
With cognitive training, you can compensate for the cognitive deficit because of unchallenging and repetitive work. It also enhances accuracy, supporting the enhanced maintenance of complex task sequences in your working memory.
Research findings indicate that formal cognitive training can be advantageous in sustaining improved brain activity, especially in middle-aged people experiencing cognitive decline.
Brain activity also improves with enough sleep. With neurofeedback training, you can teach your brain to get better quality and adequate sleep. As a result, you manage insomnia effectively while experiencing boosted brain function in the process.
3. Better engagement
The implementation of brain training also fosters better workplace engagement. The idea is to use the treatment to help employees become more invested emotionally.
Besides improving overall wellbeing, emotional engagement also encourages employees to take advantage of other wellness options, such as medical support and mental health days. Brain training brings them to “the stage of action,” making it a key part of a holistic health package for employees.
Many employee wellness assistance programs lack this aspect. After all, if a person is not emotionally fit, that individual cannot make the necessary lifestyle changes to become healthier.
To ensure that their health packages are not wasted, companies must encourage employees to nurture the mind-body connection element of their lives.
3 Easy Activities to Exercise the Brain
Besides undergoing a formal procedure, you can also perform regular cognitive exercises to have enhanced brain function. Below are three easy activities you should try at work or at home:
1. Meditation
The endless pressure you experience at work can gradually decrease cognitive performance.
Practice regular meditation to relieve pent-up stress. Performing this task at least five minutes daily also fosters mindfulness and focus.
2. Brain games
Some online games are designed to enhance cognitive performance akin to brain training. After assessing a person’s strengths and weaknesses, these brain games help enhance brain power and function, especially if done regularly for at least 60 days.
3. Mind mapping
People remember what they see better than the things they learn from their other senses. In fact, experts say that they retain 65 percent from visual content, which is quite high versus the 10 percent they get from listening.
To take advantage of this, consider mind mapping to improve your memory.
To start mind mapping, use pictures and doodles to illustrate your work. You can also supplement it with music and sounds.
Brain Training for a Better Work Life
Brain training helps improve engagement, productivity, and overall cognitive function.
Take advantage of all these benefits by integrating brain training into your company health program or undergo it yourself to enjoy a better work life.
Have questions about neurofeedback training?
Talk to us today. We’ll be happy to help.
Dr. Upasana Gala is the founder and CEO of Evolve Brain Training, a Neurofeedback-centered institute that focuses on using non-invasive brain training techniques to maximize the brain’s true potential.