There’s no question that we all want to be more productive during the week. Unfortunately, for many of us, this just doesn’t happen. We try to force ourselves to work harder, but it seems like our productivity levels stay the same or even decrease. We get to Friday exhausted and TGIF becomes our mantra. This is because there are certain naturally occurring hormones that play a significant role in improving our productivity.
In this blog post, we will give a high-level overview of some hormones that affect productivity and in particular, we look at 4 hormones that increase productivity! We also have some simple questions to ask yourself that may be helpful. Let’s start by taking a look at one of the hormones that can decrease productivity.
Cortisol is often referred to as the “stress hormone” because it is released in response to stress. When we are stressed, our bodies produce more cortisol in order to help us deal with the situation. Unfortunately, when we’re constantly stressed, our bodies can become overloaded with cortisol and this can lead to a decrease in productivity. In order to increase your productivity, it’s important to find ways to reduce your stress levels. This can be done by proactively taking breaks during the day, practicing meditation or mindfulness, and getting regular exercise. Unfortunately, when cortisol levels build up over time, allostatic load increases and before you know it, you’re on the path to burnout.
Q: Have you scheduled in regular breaks in your calendar? When are you using your annual leave days?
Now let’s take a look at how you can increase your levels of the right hormones that helps increase productivity during the week. We start with dopamine.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps us feel pleasure and motivates us to achieve our goals. When we accomplish something, our brains release dopamine as a reward. This can help us to feel more focused and motivated. However, too much dopamine can actually lead to distraction and make it difficult to concentrate. That’s where the term ‘dopey’ comes from.
Q: What’s something that you can look forward to each week that can help you accomplish your goals?
The next hormone is serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps us to feel happy and relaxed. Also known as the “feel-good” hormone, when we have high levels of serotonin, we tend to feel more positive and optimistic. This can lead to increased productivity as we’re more likely to take action when we feel good about ourselves. You can increase serotonin by spending time in nature, being around friends and family, and getting regular exercise.
Q: How much time do you spend outside each day? Who are the people that make you feel good?
The third hormone is oxytocin. Oxytocin is often referred to as the “love hormone” because the body releases it usually when we hug someone or experience other forms of physical touch. It also plays a role in social bonding and trust. When we trust the people we’re working with, we’re more likely to be productive. Oxytocin can also help to reduce stress levels and anxiety. If there’s one reason why businesses should bring employees back to the office, it’s to help increase oxytocin levels when trust builds. It’s also why those corny trust building activities like “falling backwards into team member’s arms” actually work.
Q: Who do you trust at work? How can you increase trust levels between team members?
Finally, we have endorphins. Endorphins are hormones that the body releases in response to pain or stress. They help to reduce our perception of pain and make us feel good. It is the hormone that helps most with a feeling of well-being. When we have high levels of endorphins, we tend to feel more positive and can be more productive. If businesses want better well-being for their employees, helping them increase production of endorphins would be a good starting point.
Q: What is an activity you can do that would increase your production of endorphins? Check out this list from Harvard Medical School.
So there you have it, the four hormones that can help increase productivity during the week. By managing our stress levels and increasing our levels of dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins, we can be more productive and feel better while doing it. Share your tips in the comment below. Golf anyone?