How to be Productive

The Jam said:
Firstly, nonsense, of course they are related to productivity. Secondly, that doesn't change the fact that you wake up doff because you are in withdrawal... And that caffeine hit is every bit as good as a ciggie to a smoker or a dop to an alcoholic. Satisfying cravings from addiction is always satisfying. That's what is perceived as a production booster.

Smokers are also more productive after a hit of nicotine. Should you start smoking if you don't already?
Click to expand...

Personally, I don't get addicted to caffeine. I realised this years ago when I could switch from multiple coffees a day to exclusively hot chocolate or cocoa for weeks with no withdrawal.

I've been off caffeine for at least 8 months recently and I've found sitting my desk and found it hard to just sit my desk and get things done. Compared to when I have coffee, I can sit for hours on end getting stuff done vs getting up every 20 minutes without caffeine.

Maybe caffeine does the senses a bit, maybe it help make sitting hours at desk tolerable.
 
Polymathic said:
Personally, I don't get addicted to caffeine. I realised this years ago when I could switch from multiple coffees a day to exclusively hot chocolate or cocoa for weeks with no withdrawal.

I've been off caffeine for at least 8 months recently and I've found sitting my desk and found it hard to just sit my desk and get things done. Compared to when I have coffee, I can sit for hours on end getting stuff done vs getting up every 20 minutes without caffeine.

Maybe caffeine does the senses a bit, maybe it help make sitting hours at desk tolerable.
Click to expand...
I think there was a primate study where dopamine receptor recovery was tracked after a few weeks of low dose cocaine in their drinking water. IIRC, it took a minimum of 3 months to return to normal. I’ll check my bookmarks when I get back to my PC. Don’t know if that relates to adenosine receptors but caffeine does spike other neurotransmitters as well.

Also it’s known that susceptibility to caffeine’s effects are genetic. Some people metabolise it slower, others faster. Everyone suffers worse sleep though, and sleep is huge for productivity.

That said, I feel bad discussing this in a @RedViking thread :oops:
 
Nike7 said:
I think there was a primate study where dopamine receptor recovery was tracked after a few weeks of low dose cocaine in their drinking water. IIRC, it took a minimum of 3 months to return to normal. I’ll check my bookmarks when I get back to my PC. Don’t know if that relates to adenosine receptors but caffeine does spike other neurotransmitters as well.

Also it’s known that susceptibility to caffeine’s effects are genetic. Some people metabolise it slower, others faster. Everyone suffers worse sleep though, and sleep is huge for productivity.

That said, I feel bad discussing this in a @RedViking thread :oops:
Click to expand...
Personally I find that cup of coffee before bedtime make me sleep better. Though I remember seeing something online that science also confirms this but there is a window for this effect, if you don't fall asleep during that window then you're going to be up the entire night.

Bringing insomnia up, I found that my insomnia had improved dramatically after I started taking dietary supplements.

I'm not sure whether it's the B Complex or the magnesium or maybe it's the combination of both that fixed my sleeping issues.
 
Im am Completly crashing. Something broke in me. for the life of I cannot get started on work. I dont know what is wron or how to fix it.
 
Nike7 said:
That said, I feel bad discussing this in a @RedViking thread
Click to expand...
I am TRYING very HARD not to get TRIGGERED into this coffee debate. :ROFL:

I am addicted. I know what coffee does. If I planned to stop drinking coffee I would have started a support group. This is not it.



Now to get back on to being productive. It is 11am. Had a late start to the day as I had too much coffee last night and couldn't sleep, and only just finished discussing getting another project manager on board. Once he starts that will free up some 2-3 hours a day and can continue working on the other great advice given so far.


I guess I might need to let go of social media (mybroadband) during the day as well, but that will be difficult as it is the only conversations I have during the day and I have no friends or coworkers to talk random stuff about.
 
The Jam said:
That's what happens to me if I don't make an effort to wind down at leas an hour before bed.
Phones are a curse.
Click to expand...
My case it was totally nutrition as the culprit, long term I need start eating more salads and other vegetables.
 

This is a very interesting watch. And this seems to support my hypothesis that caffeine can make you more productive... Depending on your brain chemistry
 
Pixies said:
This one explains it well
www.forbes.com

Caffeine: The Silent Killer of Success

VideoToday's tip for increasing your emotional intelligence is the most simple and straightforward you're ever going to get. For many people, this tip has the potential to have a bigger impact upon their emotional intelligence (EQ) than any other. The catch? You have to cut down on caffeine, and...
www.forbes.com www.forbes.com
Click to expand...
I guess you didn't watch the video then.

Caffeine helps me be more productive, I spent a good part of the last year and most of this year caffeine free and saw my productivity go way down.

May this would explain it well for you.

caffeine enhances dopamine (DA) signaling in the brain, which it does predominantly by antagonizing adenosine A2A receptors (A2AR).
Click to expand...

Caffeine increases striatal dopamine D2/D3 receptor availability in the human brain - PMC

Caffeine, the most widely consumed psychoactive substance in the world, is used to promote wakefulness and enhance alertness. Like other wake-promoting drugs (stimulants and modafinil), caffeine enhances dopamine (DA) signaling in the brain, which ...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The widespread belief that dopamine regulates pleasure could go down in history with the latest research results on the role of this neurotransmitter. Researchers have shown that it regulates motivation, causing individuals to initiate and persevere to obtain something either positive or negative
Click to expand...
www.sciencedaily.com

Dopamine regulates the motivation to act, study shows

The widespread belief that dopamine regulates pleasure could go down in history with the latest research results on the role of this neurotransmitter. Researchers have shown that it regulates motivation, causing individuals to initiate and persevere to obtain something either positive or negative.
www.sciencedaily.com
 
Polymathic said:
I guess you didn't watch the video then.

Caffeine helps me be more productive, I spent a good part of the last year and most of this year caffeine free and saw my productivity go way down.

May this would explain it well for you.


Caffeine increases striatal dopamine D2/D3 receptor availability in the human brain - PMC

Caffeine, the most widely consumed psychoactive substance in the world, is used to promote wakefulness and enhance alertness. Like other wake-promoting drugs (stimulants and modafinil), caffeine enhances dopamine (DA) signaling in the brain, which ...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov


www.sciencedaily.com

Dopamine regulates the motivation to act, study shows

The widespread belief that dopamine regulates pleasure could go down in history with the latest research results on the role of this neurotransmitter. Researchers have shown that it regulates motivation, causing individuals to initiate and persevere to obtain something either positive or negative.
www.sciencedaily.com
Click to expand...
If you keep neurotransmitters elevated for long enough, the receptor sites decrease, which reduces the sensitivity to the neurotransmitter over time. So initially you get all of the benefits of the dopamine spike but eventually homeostasis kicks and you need that spike just to get back to baseline.

A reset can take months, so you would expect your productivity levels to be below baseline for a long time after you quit.
 
Nike7 said:
If you keep neurotransmitters elevated for long enough, the receptor sites decrease, which reduces the sensitivity to the neurotransmitter over time. So initially you get all of the benefits of the dopamine spike but eventually homeostasis kicks and you need that spike just to get back to baseline.

A reset can take months, so you would expect your productivity levels to be below baseline for a long time after you quit.
Click to expand...
I though I was 8 or 9 months caffeine free but after looking into it, turns out that I've been caffeine free for almost a year and a half. Time is flying.

I've definitely noticed an improvement in my productivity recently when I startet to have coffee again around a couple months ago.
 
Polymathic said:
I though I was 8 or 9 months caffeine free but after looking into it, turns out that I've been caffeine free for almost a year and a half. Time is flying.

I've definitely noticed an improvement in my productivity recently when I startet to have coffee again around a couple months ago.
Click to expand...
Yes but that could be because as time passed you’ve become sensitive to caffeine again so you are once again feeling the effects. Caffeine tolerance and then dependence would creep up on you slowly and subtly again so you might not even notice.

I still agree that it could depend on individual brain chemistry but we’d need to devise an experiment to test more objectively.
 
YOu okes still going on about coffee. The reason employees dont always get much done and stuck in their salary brackets. They git stuck on one thing and not move on.
 
Willie Trombone said:
Short term. It doesn't last.
Starts with one cup, then that's not enough.
First thing in the morning before caffeine is the best time to tell whether it's working for you or not. If you feel like the walking dead that's because you have additional adenosine receptors and they are telling you to sleep. When you have caffeine, it replaces adenosine in those receptors, hence you feel more awake.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X