Curated by the Knowledge Team of ICS Career GPS
Education
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Physical activity is good for your concentration – here’s why
Excerpts from article by Simon Cooper, published in the World Economic Forum website (weforum.org)
- Research shows that regular, short bursts of moderate exercise can improve concentration, particularly in young people.
- For adults, evidence suggests that a 20 minute jog during the working day could boost concentration for up to one hour afterwards.
- Exercise could help mental performance through factors such as increased alertness and blood flow to the brain.
- Some activities such as team sports may engage the brain better than others.
Whether it’s during the post-lunch slump or just one of those days, we all struggle to concentrate on what we’re doing sometimes, whether that’s at work, school, or home, being able to concentrate on what we’re doing would inevitably make us more productive.
But that’s often easier said than done. For people looking to improve their concentration, exercise is often recommended as the antidote – and for good reason, as research shows that physical activity can improve concentration in people of all ages.
Concentration is our ability to focus on a task and ignore distractions. So, we need to have two important aspects of cognitive function working at their best:
- Sustained attention, in which we’re able to focus on certain pieces of information for prolonged periods of time.
- Executive function, which is our ability to think and make decisions at a complex level.
Concentration and academic achievement
Most research into the effects of exercise on concentration have studied the links in young people in schools. This is likely because of the clear effect concentration has on academic achievement, with a key priority of schools being to improve academic achievement and exam results.
Research shows that acute bouts of physical activity (such as walking or running during break) have a positive effect on concentration in young people. This effect has been shown after various forms of physical activity including walking, running and team games (such as football and basketball). But this effect tends to only last for around one hour, so regular opportunities to be active across the school day are important.
Better fitness, superior concentration level
Another really interesting discovery is that young people with higher levels of fitness demonstrate superior concentration, when compared with less fit children. For example, young people who have higher cardiorespiratory fitness display better concentration than those who are less fit. So based on current evidence, regular physical activity appears to be very important for improving concentration in children.
Although there’s less evidence in adults, research does still show that acute bouts of physical activity, such as a 20 minute walk or jog, enhance concentration for up to one hour afterwards. Studies have also shown that having people take breaks for physical activity during the work day improves self-reported concentration and mood – both of which could improve productivity.
Team games particularly beneficial
Some evidence shows that any exercise which requires decision making (such as team games, like football and hockey) might be particularly beneficial to concentration, due to the fact that your brain is engaged during these types of exercise.
The research is clear that short bouts of moderate, physical activity are great at improving concentration immediately following exercise. This might include going for a brisk walk, a run, or even a leisurely cycle.
The best type of physical activity is one that you enjoy, and can be easily incorporated into daily life. Ultimately, people need to be able to regularly perform physical activity in order to gain both immediate and long-term benefits.
Career
6 vital tips for building a successful career in marketing
Excerpts from article by Jacob Maslow, published in influencive.com
A career in marketing takes a lot of tech savviness and artfulness in order to prosper. Here are some tips that will help you succeed in a career as a marketer:
Learn the metrics and get to grips with the numbers
Marketing infrastructure means that the further up the chain you go, the more they want numbers and the less they want ideas. You may have been told at some point at school that marketing allows you to flex your creative muscles, but if you want to climb the lofty ranks, then you need to become a master of numbers.
You need an understanding of the industry
Marketing is all about customers and to understand your customer you need to understand the industry. Luckily, experience within the company you work for will help you gain this sort of understanding, but it can be daunting at first, especially if you getting the job requires experience in certain areas. It is quite common for beginners to doubt the knowledge they got from universities. Working with colleagues and paying attention to details will make up for it over time.
Become far more persuasive
Your persuasive skills are not just employed on the people you are targeting with your adverts. Around 90% of your persuasive skills will go towards convincing people in your own company to use your ideas. As the old saying goes, “Do not worry about people stealing your ideas. If your idea is genuinely a good one, then you will have to ram it down people’s throats.” In short, even if you have the very best and most effective marketing ideas on the planet, you will find no success or glory if you cannot convince your bosses, co-workers and clients to take on your ideas.
Learn all about office politics
Make no mistake, negotiating your way through the office politics is also a skill you will need. You have to learn how to be worldly-wise. Start by reading the book “The Prince” by Niccolò Machiavelli, and then buddy up with older people who are well versed in the art of office politics.
Learn enough to understand the esoterics
If you walk into a job already understanding key demographics, targeting parameters, and so forth, then your chances are of getting a good starting position and working your way up from there are better. There is no minimum level of education you need, but rising through the ranks is often easier if you have the right types of qualifications.
Try it yourself
A great way to dip your toe into the world of marketing is to try it for yourself. Do more than just sell a few things on eBay. Try selling something using Google Ads, and Facebook post boosts. Try selling something using a website landing page, and learn about sales funnels while you are at it. Have a go at selling business-to-business if you can, and try selling on a personal or one-to-one basis.
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article mentioned above are those of the author(s). They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of ICS Career GPS or its staff.)
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