Prevent brain rot
Sure, working your way through
Marian Keyes’ entire back catalogue
(with a generous side of gossip
mags) may be good for the soul,
but two weeks without stimulation
really can rot your mind. Research
by Professor Siegfried Lehrl from
the University of Erlangen in
Germany found 14 days’ rest can
reduce your IQ by 20 points. Eek.
Happily, he also found a way to ward
off brain rot – just pack the Travel
Scrabble. It turns out 10 minutes of
mind games plus a 10- to 20-minute
walk on the beach every day should
be enough to protect your grey
cells. Smart move.
DO MORE Make your back-to-reality
exercise routine intense. Regular
cardio – the kind that gets you red
faced and drenched in sweat boosts
the brain area involved in verbal
memory and learning, a study from
the University of British Columbia
shows. And you’ll work off the
prosecco belly, too.Outsmart your inbox
To rein in your post-holiday
inbox, business consultant Peter
Bregman suggests bulk-processing
your emails three times a day in
30-minute slots: first thing, at
midday and around an hour before
you leave. “You can’t concentrate
that intently for longer than 30
minutes, so set a timer and be strict- any replies you receive can be
dealt with in your next 30-minute
slot,” he says. Guess those pug
memes will have to wait, then.
DO MORE Sign up to sanebox.com.
It’s a genius digital personal admin
service that looks at your email
exchange history to prioritise
the messages you should read,
scan and ignore. Job done.Ditch the puff
Congratulations! You went to
London! The downside? Thanks to
the long flight, you now feel like a
puffer fish in Nine West heels. Kick
its butt by slipping on some full-
length gym compression leggings
(they’ll make you feel like Wonder
Woman). Research published in the
Medical Journal of Australia shows
that compression garments increase
the oxygen supply to your muscles,
decrease swelling, improve energy
levels, ability to concentrate, and
post-flight sleep. Wear them before,
during and for a while after your
flight to feel a difference. Lunging
in the aisles = a step too far.
DO MORE Small amounts of
melatonin can help fight jet lag.
Cherries are a natural source,
so for two days before you fly
back, drink cherry juice at your
intended bedtime in your home
time zone. Zzzz. WH14:55
HYDRATE
Have a glass of water.
The Journal of Nutrition
reports being just two
per cent dehydrated
affects focus.07:30
BRAINSTORM IN
THE SHOWER
A study in Creativity Research
Journal found our most creative
ideas happen while doing
mundane stuff. Think,
rinse, repeat.10:26
TACKLE YOUR TO-DO LIST
You’re at your most productive right
now, according to londonoffices.com
research. Six months of expenses: go!13:00
SWEAT IT OUT
Working out over lunch
helps avoid the 4pm
slump. An ASOS raid
doesn’t count.20:00
SOCIAL MEDIA BINGE
You’re likely to get the
most ‘likes’ on Facebook
at 8pm, according to,
er, Facebook.TIME IT
RIGHT
Schedule a pain-free
switch from beach
to boardroom08:00
SEND IMPORTANT EMAILS
According to survey company
People Pulse, people are most
responsive between now and
9am. Get it done.09:30-11:00
GET YOUR COFFEE FIX
This is when caffeine
works best, due to lower
cortisol levels. Any excuse
for a morning break!5 4
Life etc career
ADDITIONALWORDS:TARAALI.PHOTOGRAPHY:GETTYIMAGES