Drink Some Tea.
I have no idea whether this image is of green tea or not. But just imagine me drinking this cup of tea.
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve gotten into a green tea habit.
A pot of green tea after a meal to sip on over the next couple of hours has been a truly enjoyable and relaxing experience.
Whether that’s simply to enjoy while spending time with family or sip on while focusing on a personal project, this act has kept me alert, engaged, and yet calm.
It’s not jittery like a coffee. It gives me a bit more of an alert yet stable and present feel.
And it’s been helpful in ensuring I get enough hydration too.
Now, from a productivity standpoint, it’s helped me focus and it made me wonder why that was the case. Here’s what I found.
Hydration - A Direct Impact On Energy And Brain Function
Now, I wouldn’t qualify myself as anti-water or anti-hydration, but sometimes it slips my mind.
Well, the brain is strongly influenced by your hydration status.
Studies show that even mild dehydration, such as the loss of 1–3% of body weight, can impair many aspects of brain function.
It can impact your mood, perceived difficulty with concentration, and feelings of fatigue.
Caffeine - Stimulant
It’s fairly commonly known. Green tea has caffeine. Certainly the amount of caffeine is less than a cup of coffee but the caffeine is present and can help with alertness and focus. Typically, a cup of tea contains approximately 35-61mg caffeine and may vary depending on whether the tea is loose leaf, bagged or powdered.
L-Theanine
The other and lesser-known ingredient in tea that can associated with the boost in attention is the 4.5–22.5 mg of theanine in tea.
Theanine is an amino acid that is virtually unique to tea (and some mushroom types). The amino acid is thought to bind to attenuate neurotransmitter levels, interfering with their precursor availability and thus affect cognition. It appeared to modulate α wave brain activity and has been associated with relaxation at rest and performance during attention task performance.
Additionally, L-Theanine has been connected with improved sleep quality through anxiolysis. For me, sleep quality hasn’t been an issue in the first place, but I’ll take extra benefits that come my way.
Habit - The Foundation For Deep Focus
Finally, my tea drinking has gotten to the point of a habit. It’s something I look forward to before I settle into my chair to tackle a new problem, a new personal project, and a new focus.
That sense of routine lets me relax and slows my mind from its incessant racing and sporadic thought-jumping.
Sometimes It’s Important To Know Productivity Can Be Defined By What You Enjoy Too
Like I always say - productivity is a very personal and subjective thing. For me, drinking green tea has been an enjoyable and relaxing act and it has also impacted my productivity as it impacts the other connected events in my life. Whether that’s facilitating me focusing on my activities, whether that’s putting me in a relaxed state after a day at work, or whether it’s helping me with my sleep (even though I swear I sleep fine regardless).
So I say - try it. Grab a pack of tea. Try having it after dinner several times a week. See how it makes you feel.
Don’t you want to be this relaxed, drinking tea, and reading 2 books at once!?