Group items tagged

"The more raw material you give your brain, the more connections it can make."

" Two years of music instruction in elementary and even secondary school can trigger biological changes in how the brain processes sound, which in turn affects language development."

"Silence Gives the Brain a Break"

Brain Food

"15 Habits That Will Totally Transform Your Productivity 1/16 From decluttering your desk to letting yourself complain, these 15 easy behavior changes can change how much you accomplish each day. BY STEPHANIE VOZZA6 MINUTE READ Editor's Note: This article is one of the top 10 Leadership stories of 2015. See the full list here. People who manage to get a lot accomplished each day aren't superhuman; they've just mastered a few simple habits. Some may be easy to guess: Keep your desk organized and aim for around eight hours of sleep a night. But others, like taking a mid-day nap or complaining, might surprise you. Here are 15 easy ways to make every day more productive: 1. DECLUTTER YOUR DESK. MESSY WORK SPACE: Creativity may arise from chaos, but a litter-strewn office probably isn't helping you get stuff done. "Attention is programmed to pick up what's novel," says Josh Davis, director of research at the NeuroLeadership Institute and author of Two Awesome Hours. Visible files remind you of unfinished tasks. An unread book is temptation for procrastination. Even if you don't think you're noticing the disorder, it hurts your ability to focus. TIDY WORKSPACE: People with neat offices are more persistent and less frustrated and weary, according to a recent study in Harvard Business Review, which found that a clean desk helps you stick with a task more than one and a half times longer. "While it can be comforting to relax in your mess, a disorganized environment can be a real obstacle," says Grace Chae, a professor at Fox School of Business at Temple University and coauthor of the study. 2. BE PART OF THE 20%. No matter how crazy your days get, make sure you carve out and ruthlessly protect just 90 minutes-20% of an eight-hour day-for the most important tasks. "Even if you squander the remaining 80% of the day, you can still make great progress if you have spent 90 minutes on your goals or priorities," says Charlotte, North Carol

"Parent-child reading is widely advocated to promote cognitive development, including in recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics to begin this practice at birth."