MIND THEORY for everyday manifestation and growth

The power of the mind refers to the incredible ability of human thought, consciousness, and mental focus to influence outcomes, behavior, emotions, and even physical reality. Here are some ways the mind’s power manifests:

### 1. **Mind Over Matter**:
- **Mental strength and resilience**: The mind has the ability to influence physical endurance and performance. Athletes, for example, often push beyond their physical limits through mental toughness and focus.
- **Healing and placebo effect**: Studies have shown that belief in a treatment can cause real physical improvements, even when the treatment is a placebo. This illustrates the mind’s power in influencing health.

### 2. **Visualization and Manifestation**:
- **Creative visualization**: The act of vividly imagining desired outcomes can help in manifesting those goals. Visualization aligns thoughts and actions with achieving objectives, used commonly by successful athletes, performers, and entrepreneurs.
- **Law of attraction**: This theory suggests that focusing on positive or negative thoughts can bring about corresponding outcomes in life. While it’s not scientifically proven, many people use the principle to develop optimism and goal focus.

### 3. **Subconscious Power**:
- **Influence on behavior**: The subconscious mind controls many automatic actions and decisions based on past experiences and ingrained habits. By changing subconscious beliefs through techniques like affirmations and hypnosis, people can reshape their behaviors and outlooks.
- **Dreams and problem-solving**: The mind often works through problems while we sleep, leading to solutions upon waking. Dreams are another way the subconscious mind communicates, offering insights or creative breakthroughs.

### 4. **Positive Thinking and Emotional Control**:
- **Positive thinking**: Cultivating a positive mindset can significantly impact mental health, resilience, and even physical health. Studies show that optimism leads to lower stress levels, stronger immunity, and better overall well-being.
- **Emotional intelligence**: The ability to recognize, control, and direct your emotions helps in managing stress, making thoughtful decisions, and maintaining positive relationships.

### 5. **Neuroplasticity**:
- **Brain’s adaptability**: Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to rewire itself through learning and experience. By practicing new skills, thinking positively, or changing habits, we can physically alter the brain's structure, leading to personal growth and healing from trauma.
- **Learning and memory**: Through practice and repetition, the brain strengthens neural connections, enabling us to master new skills or retain information more effectively.

### 6. **Focus and Concentration**:
- **Flow state**: When fully immersed in a task, the mind enters a state of heightened focus and creativity, often called "flow."
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1. MIND THEORY


RASHEED, Oluwasegun Kazeem Ph.D
([phone], ([phone]
[email protected]

MNAEAP, EMPM, MNIM, MTRCN, MACSN, CT, Dip.
Digital Mkt., CEAF, CME, W10FE, CMIE, FMIE,
MAPROCON, AMIBRN, MCIEMA (USA)

Lead Principal Facilitator at HEED – A - DINK CONSULT

2. Conceptual Views
•PSYCHOLOGIST VIEW
Theory of mind refers to the ability to understand the mental
states of others and to recognize that those mental states
differs from one person to another. A well-developed theory of
mind helps us solve conflicts, develop social skills, and
reasonably predict other people's behavior.

•PHILOSOPHERS VIEW
Theory of Mind’ refers to the cognitive capacity to attribute
mental states to personal self and others. People engaged in
social life have many thoughts and beliefs about others’ (and
their own) mental states, even when they don’t verbalize
them. So, the element of a person that enables them to be
aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel;
the faculty of consciousness and thought is the mind theory.

3. Synonymous of mind
The synonyms of MIND are brain, intelligence,
intellect, intellectual capabilities, mental
capacity, brains, brainpower, wits, wit, powers
of reasoning, powers of comprehension,
powers of thought, understanding, reasoning,
judgment, sense, mentality, perception, head,
imagination, subconscious, psyche, ego, grey
matter, brain box, brain cells, loaf, smarts, kop,
ratiocination, sanity, mental balance, mental
faculties, senses, reason, and rationality.

4. THE MIND

•The mind is an abstract concept used to characterize
thoughts, feelings, subjective states, and self-awareness
that presumably arise from the brain.
•Mind in the Western tradition is the complex of faculties
involved in perceiving, remembering, considering,
evaluating, and deciding. Mind in some sense reflects as
sensations, perceptions, emotions, memory, desires, and
various types of reasoning, motives, choices, traits of
personality, and the unconscious.
•Mind refers to the aspects of intellect and consciousness
manifested as combinations of thought, perception,
memory, emotion, will and imagination, including all of the
brain's conscious and unconscious cognitive processes.
"Mind" is often used to refer especially to the thought
processes of reason.

5. LOCATION OF THE MIND
Human mind is not located in
the human brain as science
believes. Mind is present
across our body. It is present in
each and every cell of our
body.

6. DIFFERENT TYPES OF MINDS

•1.) JOY-ORIENTED MIND
Such minds have a capacity for exuberance, excitement, passionate outlook and
a child-like playfulness. This mind is more oriented towards work that feels
playful and creative, rather than work that requires a high level of organization,
meticulousness and structure. They like working in relaxed environments rather
than pressure oriented ones. When you subject a joy oriented mind to a
monotonous or aggressive work-situation, it can feel burnt out and irritated.

•2.) LOVE ORIENTED MIND
The eternal romantic, this type of mind is mostly poetic in its outlook to life. A
love oriented mind has a deep capacity for being caring and affectionate. It has
a desire for constant romance in all aspects of its life be it career or relationship
– not suited for aggressive or pressure-oriented jobs.

•3.) HATE ORIENTED MIND
This mind is mostly serious, have a low sense of humor, tough, exuding an aura
of aggressiveness. Such minds lack the aspect of sensitivity, to a large extent,
which gives it the capacity to be brutally competent and goal driven. They easily
fit into work that requires aggressiveness, leadership and ability to handle
pressure.

7. Types of Mind cont . .
•4.) FEAR ORIENTED MIND
People with this type of mind are highly sincere, loyal, committed and serious.
They mostly lack a good sense of humor and most of them are highly organized
as a bid to keep their life as structured as possible. They are suited for jobs that
require meticulousness, and even monotonous jobs.

•5.) BOREDOM ORIENTED MIND
People with this type of mind are mostly laid back; they talk with a drawl and
usually come across as being “sleepy”. Some of them actually have a high
intellect level and they fit into monotonous jobs as well as strategy based jobs
which require a lot of discernment and tact.

•6.) SEX ORIENTED MIND
All minds have a sexual nature, but certain minds are totally dominated by this
dimension. You can sense the aura of sexuality in these people is so strong that
it just shines like a neon light. They are highly connected with their own body
and have a deep capacity for sensual appreciation. They do well in jobs that
require people management (most of them have a strong charisma), leadership
and creativity. They also fit into monotonous jobs depending on their intellect
level.

8. NEGATIVITIES IN THE MIND

•1.) SUPPRESSION
We, as humans, indulge in the practice of suppression in many ways and sometimes even associate the
ord “noble” with it. We like to suppress our natural drives, our natural movement, our thoughts and our
emotions, in a bid to feel more in “control” of our life. However, suppression of any form is not natural
and hence always has a negative repercussion. Once you have stability in your awareness, you stop trying
to suppress the physical aspects in you and allow them to play out in the presence of the wisdom of your
awareness. The only reason we ever try to suppress something is out of fear, it’s not “noble” or holy, it’s
just fear.

•2.) NEEDINESS
When we feel a sense of lack in us we look to the outside for giving us a sense of “completeness”. If you
ever feel that you can’t live without something/someone, you know you have become needy. You can be
needy for approval, love, physical gratification and entertainment (material or spiritual). Desire is natural,
but to be intrinsically needy towards it is a movement of negativity.

•3.) OVER-SENSITIVITY
It is one thing to be sensitive towards life and another thing to be imbalanced in your sensitivity to the
point where it becomes a source of suffering for you. People who are over-sensitive are easy targets for
victimization because of their tendency towards the notion of “self sacrifice” (which seems noble but is
just an imbalance). People who are over-sensitive are definitely “nice” but can easily become repulsive
due to their suffering-orientation.

•4.) GREED
The mindset of over-indulgence is also a reflection of inner lack where we try to use some outside
experience to compensate for the emptiness we feel within. Greed always has negative repercussions
because it stems from the vibration of lack.

9. NEGATIVITIES IN THE MIND cont . . .

•5.) EXPLOITATION
When we lack sensitivity towards life, we start perpetrating unnecessary abuse and
exploitation towards others. There are some humans who even exploit/abuse as means
of entertainment, which is quite boggling to contemplate but it’s still the truth of
human consciousness.

•6.) MEEKNESS
The inability to stand up for oneself, and thus stay in a place of servitude, out of fear, is
what meekness is all about. Meekness attracts exploitation in the form of getting
bullied, victimized, patronized and cheated. A lot of people misunderstand meekness as
humility – true humility is just a state of balance, and it’s free of meekness.

•7.) CYNICISM
The mindset of being cynical (having a critical outlook) is the one which lacks sensitivity
and love. Cynical people are always trying to put others down, usually out of their need
for a sense of superiority (which is indicative of an inner lack).

•8.) UNWORTHINESS
The mindset of having self-hatred where you intrinsically feel that you don’t deserve
good things in your life.

10. NEGATIVITIES IN THE MIND cont . . .

•9.) SELF-PITY
The mindset of wallowing in a sense of “why me” or harboring thoughts like “I
am so good but others are so bad to me”. People who wallow in self-pity are
prone towards blaming the outside for their miseries and always consider
themselves as the victims of life. They sometimes even purposely attract some
form of abuse in order to feel more pity for themselves.

•10.) ARROGANCE
The mindset of “I am the best around” or “I am kind of a big deal”, the
narcissistic behavior. Arrogant people genuinely feel superior about themselves
but their lack of sensitivity towards life causes them to stay disconnected with
several aspects of well-being.

•11.) JEALOUSY
The mindset of comparison where you feel bad about the well-being, or
abundance, of others.

•12.) DULLNESS
This negativity arises when you develop a feeling of hopelessness towards life
where you just become insensitive to its aliveness.

11. COMPONENTS OF THE MIND

1. FREE WILL

Free will is the ability to choose between different possible courses of
action unimpeded. Free will is closely linked to the concepts of moral
responsibility, praise, guilt, sin, and other judgements which apply only to
actions that are freely chosen.

•FREE WILL VERSUS EPIPHENOMENALISM

Epiphenomenalism is the theory that consciousness – an accidental by-
product of the brain / mind. Blood is red because of its chemical
properties, but the redness itself doesn’t have any function. If
consciousness is an epiphenomenon of the brain, it is nothing but the
property of experiencing. Our sense that it enables us to make choices is
an illusion. Our unconscious minds generate both our actions and the
experience of volition, but in reality, the experience of willing does not
actually cause our actions; that’s just a story our brains tell us.

12. COMPONENTS OF THE MIND CONT . . .

2. MEMORY
MEMORY involves encoding, storing, retaining and
subsequently recalling information and past
experiences. We are typically not aware of what is in
our memory until we need to use that bit of
information. Then we use the process of retrieval to
bring it to the forefront when we need to use it.
Again, much of this recall happens without having
concentrate on it — particularly with common tasks
such as shoe tying — but there are other types of
memories that take more effort to bring to the
forefront. Memory loss is often associated with
aging, but there are a number of things that can
trigger short- and long-term memory loss, including
injury, medications and witnessing a traumatic
event.

13. TYPES OF MEMORY

•Implicit Memory: is sometimes referred to as unconscious memory or automatic
memory. Implicit memory uses past experiences to remember things without thinking
about them. Musicians and professional athletes are said to have superior ability to
form procedural memories
•.
•Procedural Memory, which is a subset of implicit memory, is a part of the long-term
memory responsible for knowing how to do things, also known as motor skills. You
don't have to delve into your memory to recall how to walk each time you take a step.
Some examples of procedural memory: Playing piano, Ice skating, playing tennis,
Swimming and climbing stairs

•Semantic Memory is not connected to personal experience. Semantic memory includes
things that are common knowledge, such as the names of states, the sounds of letters,
the capitals of countries and other basic facts that are not in question. Some examples
of semantic memory include: Knowledge that the sky is blue, Knowing how to use a
knife and fork, Remembering what dog can do and so on.

•Episodic Memory is a person's unique recollections of a specific event or an episode.
People are usually able to associate particular details with an episodic memory, such as
how they felt, the time and place, and other particulars.

14. FUNCTIONS OF MEMORY.

•Memory is the faculty of the brain by which data or
information is encoded, stored, and retrieved when
needed.
•It is the retention of information over time for the purpose
of influencing future action.
• If past events could not be remembered, it would be
impossible for language, relationships, or personal identity
to develop.
•Memory loss is usually described as forgetfulness or
amnesia.
•Memory is often understood as an informational
processing system with explicit and implicit functioning
that is made up of a sensory processor, short-term (or
working) memory, and long-term memory.

15. COMPONENTS OF THE MIND CONT . . .
3. INTELLECT
Intellect is a term used in studies of the human mind, and
refers to the ability of the mind to come to correct
conclusions about what is true or false, and about how to
solve problems. Historically the term comes from the
Greek philosophical term nous, which was translated into
Latin as intellectus (derived from the verb intelligere, "to
understand", from inter, "between" and legere, "to
choose” and into French and then English as intelligence
(other than intellect). Intellect is in fact considered as a
branch of intelligence.

Discussion of the intellect can be divided into two broad
areas. In both of these areas, the terms "intellect" and
"intelligence" have continued to be used as related
words.

16. TYPES OF INTELLIGENCE

•1. NATURALIST INTELLIGENCE
Naturalist intelligence designates the human ability to discriminate among living
things (plants, animals) as well as sensitivity to other features of the natural world
(clouds, rock configurations).

•2. MUSICAL INTELLIGENCE
Musical intelligence is the capacity to discern pitch, rhythm, timbre, and tone. This
intelligence enables us to recognize, create, reproduce, and reflect on music, as
demonstrated by composers, conductors, musicians, vocalist, and sensitive
listeners. Interestingly, there is often an affective connection between music and
the emotions; and mathematical and musical intelligences may share common
thinking processes.

•3. LOGICAL-MATHEMATICAL INTELLIGENCE
•Logical-mathematical intelligence is the ability to calculate, quantify, consider
propositions and hypotheses, and carry out complete mathematical operations. It
enables us to perceive relationships and connections and to use abstract, symbolic
thought; sequential reasoning skills; and inductive and deductive thinking patterns.
•

17. TYPES OF INTELLIGENCE CONT . . .

•4. EXISTENTIAL INTELLIGENCE
Sensitivity and capacity to tackle deep questions about human existence, such
as the meaning of life, why we die, and how did we get here.

•5. INTERPERSONAL INTELLIGENCE
Interpersonal intelligence is the ability to understand and interact effectively
with others. It involves effective verbal and nonverbal communication, the
ability to note distinctions among others, sensitivity to the moods and
temperaments of others, and the ability to entertain multiple perspectives.
Teachers, social workers, actors, and politicians all exhibit interpersonal
intelligence. Young adults with this kind of intelligence are leaders among their
peers, are good at communicating, and seem to understand others’ feelings
and motives.

•6. BODILY-KINESTHETIC INTELLIGENCE
Bodily kinesthetic intelligence is the capacity to manipulate objects and use a
variety of physical skills. This intelligence also involves a sense of timing and
the perfection of skills through mind–body union. Athletes, dancers, surgeons,
and crafts people exhibit well-developed bodily kinesthetic intelligence.

18. TYPES OF INTELLIGENCE CONT . . .

•7. LINGUISTIC INTELLIGENCE
Linguistic intelligence is the ability to think in words and to use language to express
and appreciate complex meanings. Linguistic intelligence allows us to understand
the order and meaning of words and to apply meta-linguistic skills to reflect on our
use of language. Linguistic intelligence is the most widely shared human
competence and is evident in poets, novelists, journalists, and effective public
speakers.

•8. INTRA-PERSONAL INTELLIGENCE
Intra-personal intelligence is the capacity to understand oneself and one’s thoughts
and feelings, and to use such knowledge in planning and directing one’s life. Intra-
personal intelligence involves not only an appreciation of the self, but also of the
human condition. It is evident in psychologist, spiritual leaders, and philosophers.
These young adults may be shy. They are very aware of their own feelings and are
self-motivated.

•9. SPATIAL INTELLIGENCE
Spatial intelligence is the ability to think in three dimensions. Core capacities
include mental imagery, spatial reasoning, image manipulation, graphic and artistic
skills, and an active imagination. Sailors, pilots, sculptors, painters, and architects
all exhibit spatial intelligence. Young adults with this kind of intelligence may be
fascinated with mazes or jigsaw puzzles, or spend free time drawing or
daydreaming.

19. EASY WAYS TO BOOST YOUR INTELLIGENCE

1.Read More – Intelligence begins with reading. The more
you will read, the more you will absorb and therefore
the more intelligent you will get. Reading rewires your
brain for higher intelligence and empathy.
2. Set Achievable Goals – Goals create structure in life and
only through the proper structure can you increase
intelligence. You are a reflection of how your brain
works, organized intelligent thinking will lead to an
organized, successful life.
3. Meditate – When you meditate you calm and balance your
brain. This peace and tranquility are crucial in building
intellect. A brain that is upset and is plagued with
depression, crippling anxiety or some other chemical
imbalance is not a suitable ground for improving IQ and
intelligence.
4. Make Notes – The body remembers by doing. So by making
notes on everything you do, you will increase memory
and intellect. According to a University of Oregon study,
more items stored in short-term memory is linked to
greater intelligence, as measured in IQ tests.
5. Play Games – Playing games challenges your brain and
helps you think logically
6. Stay Hydrated – Our brains depend on proper hydration to
function properly. Brain cells require a delicate balance
between water and other elements to operate at max
efficiency. So try to keep your brain replenished drink
the medically recommended amount of water every day.
7. Exercise – Exercise keeps your body fine-tuned and
energetic; it is a great way to increase your productivity
and intelligence. A healthy body equals a healthy mind
and just like how injured legs can’t win a race an
unhealthy, malnourished brain can’t function at max
capacity either.

8. Have a Good Breakfast – You can’t drive a car without fuel. Once you
wake up and your tank is empty, eat a hearty breakfast to get
yourself going again. Eating a healthy breakfast is directly linked to
higher mental performance.
9. Get Enough Rest – Imagine your brain like a smart phone. No matter
how efficient and wonderful it is, it eventually needs to recharge
and shut down. A good night’s rest will do wonders in making you
smarter.
10. Solve Math Questions – The only reason people don’t like math is
that it requires them to use their brains. By doing the math you
exercise your brain and just like a muscle, through exercise it gets
stronger and quicker.
11. Practice Good Breathing – Oxygen is crucial to the brain and it can’t
survive very long deprived of it. You should practice good breathing
techniques and give your brain as much oxygen as it needs. “You
don’t need to know all the answers. No one is smart enough to ask
you all the questions”. – Unknown.
12. Take Breaks – Your brain is just a muscle and overworking it will only
cause problems. Take periodic breaks to keep your brain fresh and
productive. And never forget to sleep.
13. Refine Your Thinking – Don’t just think but think about how you are
thinking when you think. It’s quite a handful of words, but it works.
If you plan out your thinking process you will think more
productively.
14. Eat throughout the Day – Your brain needs fuel to function. Try to
avoid being hungry and keep yourself well fed. Hunger is tied
directly to low blood sugar which quickly leads to fatigue and low
energy levels this all wreak havoc on your brain and on your ability
to focus
15. Stay Focused – Intelligence is largely influenced by focus, someone
who is easily distracted can not consume or retain information
compared to someone who is good at concentrating and absorbing
new data. So practice focusing on tasks and avoid multi-tasking and
other distractions.
•

20. COMPONENTS OF THE MIND CONT . .
.

4. EMOTION

•Emotions are biological states associated with the nervous
system brought on by neurophysiological changes variously
associated with thoughts, feelings, behavioural responses, and
a degree of pleasure or displeasure. Emotion is often
intertwined with mood, temperament, personality, disposition,
creativity and motivation.

•There are many different types of emotions that have an
influence on how we live and interact with others. At times, it
may seem like we are ruled by these emotions. The choices we
make, the actions we take, and the perceptions we have are all
influenced by the emotions we are experiencing at any given
moment. Psychologists have also tried to identify the different
types of emotions that people experience. A few different
theories have emerged to categorize and explain the emotions
that people feel.

21. THE BASIC TYPES OF EMOTIONS


i. Combining Emotions
Psychologist Robert Plutchik put forth a "wheel of emotions" that worked something like
the color wheel. Emotions can be combined to form different feelings, much like colors
can be mixed to create other shades.

ii. Happiness
Among all the different types of emotions, happiness tends to be the one that people
strive for the most. Happiness is often defined as a pleasant emotional state that is
characterized by feelings of contentment, joy, gratification, satisfaction, and well-being.

iii. Sadness
Sadness is another type of emotion often defined as a transient emotional state
characterized by feelings of disappointment, grief, hopelessness, disinterest, and
dampened mood.

iv. Surprise
•Surprise is another one of the six basic types of human emotions originally described
by Eckman. Surprise is usually quite brief and is characterized by a physiological startle
response following something unexpected. This type of emotion can be positive,
negative, or neutral. An unpleasant surprise, for example, might involve someone
jumping out from behind a tree and scaring you as you walk to your car at night.

22. THE BASIC TYPES OF EMOTIONS cont . . .

v. Fear
Fear is a powerful emotion that can also play an important role in survival.
When you face some sort of danger and experience fear, you go through what
is known as the fight or flight response. Your muscles become tense, your heart
rate and respiration increase, and your mind becomes more alert, priming your
body to either run from the danger or stand and fight.

vi. Disgust
•Disgust is another of the original six basic emotions described by Eckman.
Disgust can be displayed in a number of ways including:
• Body language: turning away from the object of disgust
• Physical reactions: such as vomiting or retching
• Facial expressions: such as wrinkling the nose and curling the upper lip.

vii. Anger
Anger can be a particularly powerful emotion characterized by feelings of
hostility, agitation, frustration, and antagonism towards others. Like fear, anger
can play a part in your body's fight or flight response. When a threat generates
feelings of anger, you may be inclined to fend off the danger and protect
yourself.

23. COMPONENTS OF THE MIND CONT . . .
5. IMAGINATION
•Imagination is the ability to produce and simulate novel objects, peoples and ideas in
the mind without any immediate input of the senses. It is also described as the forming
of experiences in one's mind, which can be re-creations of past experiences such as
vivid memories with imagined changes, or they can be completely invented and
possibly fantastic scenes. Imagination helps make knowledge applicable in solving
problems and is fundamental to integrating experience and the learning process.
•Imagination is a cognitive process used in mental functioning and sometimes used in
conjunction with psychological imagery. It is considered as such because it involves
thinking about possibilities. The cognate term of mental imagery may be used in
psychology for denoting the process of reviving in the mind recollections of objects
formerly given in sense perception.
•Imagination, however, is not considered to be exclusively a cognitive activity because it
is also linked to the body and place, particularly that it also involves setting up
relationships with materials and people, precluding the sense that imagination is locked
away in the head.
•Imagination can also be expressed through stories such as fairy tales or fantasies.
Children often use such narratives and pretend play in order to exercise their
imaginations. When children develop fantasy they play at two levels: first, they use role
playing to act out what they have developed with their imagination, and at the second
level they play again with their make-believe situation by acting as if what they have
developed is an actual reality.

24. Subsections of Imagination
•Effectuative Imagination: This is what allows us to synthesize existing ideas
together from existing information. If I were to offer you a penguin and dog-
poop sandwich, you probably don’t have to try it to know that you won’t like it.
You simply took the existing information (the ingredients) and made a brand
new construct (the sandwich).

•Intellectual Imagination: is when you’re able to work from an existing plan or a
definite idea and is guided towards a distinct purpose. Intellectual imagination
is a very conscious and deliberate process.

•Imaginative Fantasy: This is when you’re able to generate new ideas from
scratch and can be guided or unguided. This is what most writers and artists
are good at. We usually have a moment of inspiration and go off to explore
wherever the fantasy may take us. Lots of my time spent as a writer is done
walking. Walking and thinking and day dreaming. Letting my brain go off in its
own direction and return with things that haven’t been thought of yet.

•Empathy: This is a capacity that human beings have to mentally detach from
ourselves and experience what another person is experiencing from their point
of view. It allows us to take an imaginative stroll in someone else’s shoes.

25. Subsections of Imagination cont . . .
•Strategic Imagination: This is primarily concerned with ‘what could be…’. It’s
the ability to spot opportunities and visualize what might happen if you were
to take them. People who have an excellent strategic imagination will have a
realistic understanding of their own skills, and be able to spot opportunities to
develop

•Emotional Imagination: This is a slightly trickier one to define. It’s concerned
with manifesting emotional dispositions and extending them into scenarios.
We need imagination to fuel our emotional states, we need to imagine the
monsters to feel fear, imagine the scenarios playing out in our lives to make us
feel anxious.

•Dreams: These are an unconscious form of imagination that we do when we’re
asleep. Scientists are still deciding what these crazy little night visions are all
about — but for those of us that dream, it can be a fun and sometimes scary
way to access our imagination.

•Memory Reconstruction: When we retrieve our memories of people, objects
and events we use our imagination to regenerate the images. Memories are
subconscious stored bits of information dragged into our conscious brain and
our imagination often fills the gaps where memory hasn’t been curated
properly.

26. PRODUCTIVITY OF THE MIND

•1. Delegate Tasks
It is common for all of us to take on more tasks than we are capable of completing. This can often result in
stress and burnout. Delegation does not mean you are running away from your responsibilities but are
instead learning proper management of your tasks. Learn the art of delegating work to your subordinates
as per their skills and abilities and get more done.
•2. Prioritize Work
Before the start of the day, make a list of tasks that need your immediate attention. Unimportant tasks
can consume much of your precious time, and we tend to offer these too much of our energy because
they are easier or less stressful.
•3. Create a Schedule
Carry a planner or notebook with you and list all the tasks that come to your mind. Being able to check off
items as you complete them will give you a sense of accomplishment and keep you motivated. Make a
simple ‘To Do’ list before the start of the day, prioritize the tasks, and focus on the essentials.
•4. Set up Deadlines
When you have a task at hand, set a realistic deadline and stick to it. Once you set a deadline, it may be
helpful to write it on a sticky note and put it near your workspace. This will give you a visual cue to keep
you on task. Try to set a deadline a few days before the task is due so that you can complete all those
tasks that may get in the way. Challenge yourself and meet the deadline; reward yourself for meeting a
difficult challenge.
•5. Overcome Procrastination
Procrastination is one of the things that has a negative effect on productivity. It can result in wasting
essential time and energy. It could be a major problem in both your career and your personal life.
Avoiding procrastination can be difficult for many. We tend to procrastinate when we feel bored or
overwhelmed. Try to schedule in smaller, fun activities throughout the day to break up the more difficult
tasks. This may help you stay on track.

27. PRODUCTIVITY OF THE MIND

•6. Deal with Stress Wisely
Stress often occurs when we accept more work than we are capable of accomplishing. The result is that
our body starts feeling tired, which can affect our productivity.

•7. Avoid Multitasking if Possible
Most of us feel that multitasking is an efficient way of getting things done, but the truth is that we do
better when we focus and concentrate on one thing. Multitasking hampers productivity and should be
avoided to improve time management skills. Make use of to-do lists and deadlines to help you stay
focused! This way you can do better at what you’re doing. Wait until you finish one before starting
another. You’ll be surprised by how much more you’re able to get done.

•8. Start Early
Most successful people have one thing in common — they start their day early as it gives them time to sit,
think, and plan their day. When you get up early, you are more calm, creative, and clear-headed. As the
day progresses, your energy levels start going down, which affects your productivity, motivation, and
focus.

•9. Take Regular Breaks
Whenever you find yourself feeling tired and stressed, take a break for 10 to 15 minutes. Too much stress
can take a toll on your body and affect your productivity. And even better, schedule your break times. It
helps you to relax and gets back to work with energy again later. If you know a break is coming, you’ll
likely be able to overcome boredom or a lack of motivation to push through the task at hand.

•10. Learn to Say No
Politely refuse to accept additional tasks if you think that you’re already overloaded with work. Take a
look at your to do list before agreeing to take on extra work. Many people worry that saying no will make
them look selfish, but the truth is that saying no is one of the best ways to take care of yourself and your
time.