How to deal with the effect of social laziness? How to deal with the effect of dirty hair? The most important thing is not to go to extremes.
If you have ever tried to monitor nutrition, or rather limit it in order to lose weight, then you have probably come across a situation where the weight was reduced, and then this process stopped and the scale arrow did not move from the dead center for a long time. Those. You continue to follow the diet, but the process of losing weight has stopped. Congratulations! You are overtaken by the “plateau effect”.
What is a weight loss plateau
The plateau effect is, to put it mildly, very unpleasant situation when while dieting, proper nutrition or simply a calorie deficit in order to lose weight, the weight suddenly stops decreasing for a sufficiently long period of time for no apparent reason.
It is worth clarifying that this happens almost always, regardless of which particular principle of nutrition or diet you adhere to. If you turned out to be a “tough nut” and lasted long enough (maybe even three months), then at one point the weight loss will stop.
Usually we react to it quite sharply. This is understandable, because it is psychologically very difficult to accept the fact that you are trying as before, but there is no result. But the main thing is not to panic and understand the reasons for this phenomenon.
Reasons for stopping weight loss:
1) going beyond calories
Yes, I'm not kidding. Sometimes we make mistakes in counting calories or forget to take into account certain things. Well, for example, perhaps your nutrition program says 150 boiled buckwheat for breakfast, and you cook 150 dry and with a clear conscience eat half a kilogram of porridge for breakfast. I'm exaggerating, of course, but it happens.
In fact, it’s enough to start adding a spoonful of honey to each cup of tea and it’s easy to “get” the number of calories to your norm in a day. And accordingly, the weight will not decrease, because there is no shortage.
That is why, it is better to make sure once again that you correctly calculate the calorie content and BJU of your diet.
2) too strict diet
If you observe too large a caloric deficit, then the level of stress for the body begins to exceed the norm and the hormonal system changes its mode of operation, greatly reducing the “expenditure” of calories for its activity.
3) fluid retention
Perhaps you have not stopped losing weight at all, but are faced with a banal puffiness. There can be many reasons for this, but the most common are the use of a large amount of salt and, oddly enough, the lack of clean drinking water in the diet.
4) mono-diets
Here the situation is approximately the same as in the previous paragraph. If you eat mainly one product for a long time or with a clear excess of it, as, for example, on a buckwheat diet, then the body lacks the necessary nutrients and it imposes sanctions on you, slowing down your metabolism.
5) increase in muscle mass
If you are actively involved in gym, then a very interesting effect often appears - the percentage of fat can decrease, but the weight does not. How is this possible?
In progress strength training body composition can change within the same weight: there will be less adipose tissue (because you lose weight), and more muscle (because you train and develop it). But at the same time, visual changes are usually visible - you become more athletic and slim, and clothing sizes and volumes decrease even with the same weight.
How long can the weight stand still
Here someone is “lucky” more, and someone less. Typically, this process can take anywhere from a few weeks to 2-3 months. But the good news is that sooner or later, it will end. To “get the weight off the ground”, you can try to take some actions that have proven themselves well.
How to overcome weight loss plateaus
1. The most important thing is not to go to extremes!
You should not cut the calorie content of the diet to a minimum, just like you should not give up the idea of getting in shape at all. Just accept the fact that you will have to wait a bit before you see the changes again.
2. Have a boot day
A small indulgence in the diet for a day can deceive the body and you will begin to lose weight again. I wrote a separate article about this called. Please read how to do it right.
3. Try to change the ratio of BJU in the diet
The reason for stopping weight loss can be either a very long-term maintenance of a high amount of protein in the diet, or its too low component.
Accordingly, if you have been on a high-protein diet for a long time, then increase the amount of carbohydrates by reducing the amount of protein. If there was little protein in the diet, then on the contrary, increase it.
And do not forget that regardless of whether you want to lose weight or not, the necessary norm of healthy fats should always be present in the diet. This is 20% of daily calories. This is especially important for girls and women.
4. Gradually increase the calorie content of the diet
Yes exactly. But this is only if you were on a very strict diet from the category of 800-1000 kilocalories. How to carry out this process correctly, I told in the article “How to get out of a diet and not gain weight”.
5. Change the type of training
If you are into fitness, then try changing the nature of your workouts. Interval cardio and, in general, intense workouts built on the principle of circular and interval training have proven themselves very good for accelerating the processes of losing weight.
Accordingly, if you have been dieting but not exercising, then a plateau is a great reason to turn on physical activity.
Here, perhaps, and all the information on this topic. I really hope that the material will help you and if you encounter a plateau effect, you will know how to overcome it. Well, if you know any other “tricky” ways, then please share them in the comments. I'm sure it will help others!
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There are times when you know exactly why you're not seeing the results you want to see, such as if you've reverted to your old eating habits or been inconsistent with your diet (most importantly, be honest with yourself).
But another situation happens when you try very hard, follow all the rules of your diet plan, spend a lot of time in a fitness club, and yet progress has stopped. This means that you have reached a plateau, and the very first thing to do is to stop getting upset and feeling disappointed. Reinforce yourself with the thought that the plateau effect is just one of the steps on the way to your goal, a small stop before moving on. Let's try to understand why this happened to you?
You chose the wrong fitness plan
Despite good initial results, you may experience a plateau effect due to the fact that you are following the wrong training plan.
Perhaps you are doing too light exercises that do not give you meaningful loads, or you have completely excluded fitness from your weight loss plan for fear of becoming pumped up. This fear is completely unjustified. According to fitness consultant Olga Sago: “Using 2-3 kg dumbbells in exercises will not change your body. I would like to dispel the myth that you will become bigger and more muscular, even when using much heavier weights in the exercises. Don't forget that muscle is the key to boosting your metabolism and burning calories."
Solution: weight training
Include weight training 2-3 times a week in your fitness plan.
Pick a weight that allows you to complete 10-15 reps without feeling overwhelmed. Do 2-3 sets of exercises for each major muscle group. For achievement best results book a consultation with a personal fitness trainer. He will help you compose individual program workouts and choose exercises that are safe for your health.
It can also be a problem that you have loaded yourself with all the available types of aerobic activity, such as step, running, cycling, swimming, assuming that your weight will constantly and rapidly melt away from such intense training. Forced to disappoint you! Accustomed to heavy loads, the body begins to spend a much smaller number of calories to perform them than it was at the beginning.
Solution: Add Other Types of Exercise to Your Fitness Plan
Switch to interval training(in other words, alternate high and low intensity intervals physical activity), combined with simple cardio exercises such as jogging in place or jumping rope. After that, switch to exercises that use your own weight for strength training, such as push-ups, yoga, and Pilates.
Are you eating too little or too much?
Another reason for the plateau effect may be that you eat either too little or too much. According to nutritionist Marina Grafina: “Diet and calorie restriction are one part of a plan to lose weight and burn fat reserves, but if you go to extremes, it can lead to the collapse of even the best undertakings and achievements. If you eat too little - the body, defending itself, goes into mode and slows down the metabolism so as not to lose reserves. If you consume too much (and especially if your body has already been in starvation mode before), the body begins to actively store fat reserves for a rainy day in the hips and abdomen.
There is nothing worse than severe calorie restriction, and then, after making little progress in weight loss, indefatigable gluttony. This leads the body to such stress that it is not able to forget.
We are arranged very wisely, and all organs and systems work in such a way as to protect us as much as possible from any negative situation. As you can imagine, having had the bad experience of fasting, your body will take every opportunity to set aside reserves just in case. Don't let him get to that point! Do not try to get rid of the kilograms that you have gained over months or years in a week. This threatens not only with the emergence of health problems, but can also lead to the fact that you will gain even more weight after a while.
Solution: Decrease Calories Gradually
The safest and effective diet This is a long-term and gradual reduction in caloric intake. Reduce calories little by little, by 100-150 kcal per day from the norm required for your current weight, set yourself a reasonable time frame to achieve the goal. Do you want to fly? Start losing weight in winter. Another plus of such a gradual transition to a new weight is that you will not feel constant hunger and discomfort, because reducing the caloric content of the diet by only 100-150 kcal per day does not cause almost any discomfort.
It is extremely important for a freelancer to be able to fully concentrate on work. A freelancer works primarily with her head, so it is desirable that she always be clear and think in the right direction. That is, in the direction that the customer needs. But this is not always the case. A person is a thinking being, he cannot help but think, and often during work a freelancer is distracted by a variety of things. But that's nothing, everything can be fixed with the help of a schedule and daily to-do lists. It is much worse when a freelancer is faced with cognitive distortions - here they can seriously ruin his life.
Cognitive bias is a mistake in thinking that seriously affects the decision-making process. This is a kind of blind spot in our understanding of the world, the very case when a person does not see or feel at all what is right in front of his eyes. Such distortions can have an extremely negative impact on the workflow, primarily because they are very difficult to notice in time. But if you know that sometimes our brain is not able to adequately respond to reality, then you can avoid a bunch of mistakes and start working faster and more efficiently. Cognitive distortions can even help you get better: all you need to do is just know that they exist.
Anyone has experienced the IKEA effect, whether they are freelancers or not. This is a very common cognitive bias. It is human nature to attach disproportionate importance to things that they have chosen for themselves. This little mistake in thinking has become especially noticeable with the emergence of the global brand IKEA, whose business model is to sell furniture that the buyer can assemble on their own. Numerous studies have shown that when participants in an experiment were asked to name the cost of an IKEA chair, in all cases the respondent believed that a hand-assembled chair should cost more than approximately the same, but ready for use.
What happens when a freelancer encounters this cognitive bias? Here's what: he begins to experience strong emotions and is completely immersed in the project. On the one hand, this is good, but if you think about it, then excessive emotionality only hurts. The head of a freelancer should always be cool, especially if he is not working on a project alone. Preoccupation with one's part of the job can lead other team members to feel that their colleague has begun to pull the blanket over himself and thereby deviates from the originally chosen strategy. If you value the results of your activities too highly and overestimate their value, then sooner or later this will lead to irreparable mistakes. Especially if the original idea belongs to a freelancer who is under the influence of the IKEA effect.
How to deal with it
The IKEA effect is fairly easy to recognize. The fact that the freelancer began to think in the wrong direction, the customer will tell him or the members of the working group will remind him. The main thing is to respond to such signals in time. Ability to answer correctly feedback- a very valuable skill for a freelancer, and if he realizes that he is too carried away, the confusion will immediately disappear, and he will again be able to see the real state of affairs. It's important to put your ego on the back burner and let ideas develop in a way that's beneficial to the project as a whole.
Displacement of attention
Displaced attention is a widespread psychological phenomenon, the essence of which is that a person often thinks about the same thing. Simply put, he is obsessed with some idea. Everyone has their own interests, hobbies and preferences, but sometimes they can hurt the work. For a freelancer, too much focus on one thing is very harmful, as it deprives his thinking of the necessary flexibility. For example, a designer might be obsessed with something as important as typography. Such a person will pay attention to everything where there is text, font or letters. Either road sign, advertising banner or a sign - a shift in attention will force you to evaluate the quality of typography, typeface choice, kerning and stroke thickness, distracting from what is really important - the whole design as a whole. As they say, to a man with a hammer, any problem looks like a nail. But a freelancer is anyone but a man with a hammer.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with having a strong interest in what you do. The main thing is that this interest should not lead to the appearance of blind spots in thinking. If you focus on one thing, you can miss out on a lot. important points in other parts of the project. For a freelancer, it is important to be able to correctly evaluate the entire project as a whole, and the shift in attention distorts the perception of reality.
How to deal with it
The easiest way to get rid of the bias of attention is to expand your horizons. It is necessary to give the brain to absorb new information that will distract from obsessive thoughts. For example, you can chat with freelancers of other professions, find out what methods and techniques they use in their work. A copywriter can learn a lot from a designer, and a designer from a developer. Being an expert in your field is very important, but it is equally important to know that any project consists of many parts and elements and each of these parts affects its quality.
The strangeness effect is also one of those cognitive distortions that can help in the work. It is human nature to pay attention to everything bright and unusual, to what stands out against a monotonous background. But this same ability can lead to the fact that some part of the project, really outstanding, will draw all the attention of the freelancer. And he will lose sight of the real picture.
The strangeness effect is closely related to the famous David Ogilvy, who is often called the "father of advertising." One day, Ogilvy & Mather received an order from a small company called Hathaway, which made men's shirts. The advertising campaign's marketing budget was $30,000, too little for a whale like Ogilvi & Mather. But David Ogilvy found a way out. On his way to the studio where the posters were to be shot, he stopped by a clothing store and bought a pair of eye patches, like those worn by people who have lost an eye.
The man who acted as a model put on a bandage and set to work. As a result, this photo shoot became one of the most famous in the history of advertising. David Ogilvie surprised the viewer by making them think of the strange man in the poster. People looked and wondered: who was this man, how did he lose his eye, was he in the war, and so on. And, of course, the Hathaway commercial was memorable. The result is well known: the small firm eventually grew into the second largest men's shirt manufacturer in the United States.
How to deal with it
The effect of strangeness practically does not need to be fought. Strange things can sometimes pull out even the most ordinary project. Moreover, the effect of strangeness can be used to your advantage if you need to impress the customer. Sometimes it is enough to draw the client's attention to something unusual to make them believe that the project is quite viable.
The effect of the right choice
When a person makes a choice, then it can be very difficult for him to admit his mistake if the choice turned out to be wrong for some reason. For a freelancer, this cognitive distortion is very dangerous, as it can lead to conflict with the client. You need to be able to admit your mistakes, even if it seems that they are not. The effect of the right choice is often faced by casino visitors - here this distortion manifests itself very convexly and clearly. In itself, visiting a casino is already a mistake, but many gamblers will not agree with this. "Yes you! they will say. – It is quite possible to hit the jackpot in the casino! Here I recently won a large amount. But the reality is that as a result, the casino still wins.
When it comes to working on a project, especially a large and long-term one, it is very important to check yourself for adequacy all the time. A freelancer often has to make important decisions and needs to be confident in what he always does right choice. You can not rely only on instinct - you need to think soberly and clearly. Our perception is very changeable, so we should always keep an eye on it and return to the previously adopted strategy in time.
How to deal with it
In order to respond to this cognitive bias in time, it is better to start taking detailed notes about the progress of the project. Such records, if you constantly look at them, can remind you in time that the freelancer has lost his sight and he incorrectly evaluates his part of the work. You can also get help from other people. A fresh look from the outside will allow you to identify the mistakes made and eliminate the consequences of the wrong choice in time.
Dunning-Kruger effect
The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive distortion, which consists in the fact that people with a low level of skill draw erroneous conclusions, make bad decisions and, at the same time, are not able to realize their mistakes due to their low level of skill. This leads them to have inflated ideas about their own abilities, while really highly qualified people, on the contrary, tend to underestimate their abilities and suffer from insufficient self-confidence, considering others to be more competent. Thus, less competent people generally have a higher opinion of their own abilities than do competent people, who also tend to assume that others evaluate their abilities as low as they do themselves.
A classic example of the Dunning-Kruger effect is the restoration of a fresco created by Elias Marines for the church in Borge. An elderly parishioner, seeing that the fresco began to crumble, decided to renew it. As a result, the talented work of the famous artist was hopelessly damaged.
How to deal with it
First of all, you need to be honest with yourself. Any freelancer knows their strengths and weaknesses and it is best to ask for help when you are not sure that the work will be done to an acceptable level. This is much easier than making a bad decision and jeopardizing the fate of the project. Do not overestimate your abilities, excessive self-confidence is sometimes very harmful to work.
anchor effect
The anchor effect is much loved by marketers, who often use this cognitive bias to their advantage. The essence of this effect is very simple - we always remember the initial information better. For example, if a freelancer is negotiating the amount of payment, then who will be the first to name the amount of the fee will affect their course. It is a mental anchor that holds the freelancer's thoughts and prevents him from making a rational decision.
Promotions and sales work exactly on the same principle - everyone has seen price tags in stores with the original price crossed out. And it does not matter that often the initial cost of the goods is greatly inflated - if a person sees that he receives a 50% discount, he is sure that he is making a bargain. Cunning marketers dropped anchor and this simple psychological trick worked.
How to deal with it
The anchor effect is a relatively harmless cognitive distortion. The brain sees the deception and instinctively makes a choice in favor of the original value, but knowing this, you can avoid mistakes. The anchor effect can be used in self-marketing, in communication with colleagues or customers.
Framing effect
The framing effect is a cognitive bias that causes people to draw different conclusions from the same information depending on how it was presented. Framing is the same as framing - the brain sees what is shown to it and does not distinguish what is outside the frame. For a freelancer, this distortion can become dangerous if he does not receive or does not want to receive important data related to work. Frames severely limit the room for maneuver and can reduce the effectiveness of a freelancer.
How to deal with it
Fighting the framing effect is very easy - it's enough to ask yourself from time to time how accurate the assessment of the whole work is. And if distorting "frames" are found, they need to be eliminated as soon as possible. But framing can come in handy, especially when handing in finished work. Using the power of this mental distortion, you can draw the customer's attention to the most important and interesting parts of the project.
Conclusion
There is nothing surprising in the fact that the brain of every person is subject to cognitive distortions. This is part of the human consciousness and each of us is mistaken from time to time. Many of these distortions are completely harmless, but there are also misconceptions that can seriously harm the work. Therefore, we must always remember that our brain can sometimes incorrectly evaluate the picture of what is happening. And for a freelancer, it is extremely important to be realistic and adequately assess the quality of their work.
Often, employees who gave excellent results individually begin to work worse as a team. How to deal with such collective apathy?
Collective efforts often yield less results than individual work. This is quite natural, especially in Russian realities. The specificity of the Russian mentality is such that, despite the high ability to work, the temptation to shift part of one's work to another is very great.
If the effect of social laziness manifests itself in a small work team, it is easier to deal with it. It is easier for the manager to establish personal contact with each employee and provide an individual approach. So that laziness does not progress, it is important first of all to avoid egalitarianism. Some employees are motivated by praise, while others are better served by tougher conversations about responsibility and discipline. In any case, efficiency and personal motivation can be increased with the help of an adequate assessment of work: it is necessary to note and highlight the successes of each person personally.
It should be borne in mind that collective laziness and apathy also have objective reasons. As you know, there is no smoke without fire. If you notice a decline in the efficiency of your employees, there may be several reasons for this. Either your subordinates are tired and need to rest, or they are not motivated enough and do not see the point in their work.
If a person does not realize his own value and the value of his work, interest in work is automatically lost. At best, the employee begins to perform his duties automatically, without excitement, at worst, he begins to unconsciously sabotage. Often this attitude to work is observed in employees who are deprived of career opportunities and therefore feel underestimated.
Often the cause of apathy is conflicts with management. The employee is dissatisfied with the actions of the leader, but cannot make a complaint because of fear of violating subordination. The banal fear of losing a bonus or being fired leads a person to accumulate aggression for a long time, which takes up a significant part of his emotional strength. It is not surprising that a person who is forced to constantly live and work in such a tense state begins to “fail”.
The best thing to do is to have a frank conversation with the person. Find out what difficulties have been in his work lately, thank him for his successes and achievements. Such attention, as a rule, finds a positive reaction, and an honest conversation helps to sublimate the accumulated resentment and aggression, neutralize them or direct them in the right direction.
Nadezhda Kuzmina
According to "Trud"
In the summer, this problem is especially relevant. How to get rid of the effect of quickly polluted hair once and for all? Most effective ways- In this article.
Wash your hair less often
It may seem strange, but if you change the rhythm of shampooing, your hair will stay clean longer. Indeed, those who are used to washing their hair every day only contribute to the active work of the sebaceous glands on the head, which leads to rapid hair pollution. Overpower yourself and give up frequent shampooing. The optimal rhythm is 2-3 times a week, not more often. You will immediately notice the difference.
Refuse head accessories
It is very easy for lovers to get rid of an unwanted effect. dirty hair in summer. It is enough just to give freedom to the hair. Try to give up head accessories for at least a week: you will immediately see the result. The head will sweat less, which means that the hair will stay clean longer. In addition, you will have the opportunity to experiment with different styles. Of course, while you were wearing a straw hat or a bandana, this was out of the question: after all, headwear and styling are incompatible concepts. If you can’t go a day without your favorite cap or headscarf, try not to wear them tightly on your head so that your hair can breathe and not lose its natural volume.
Change hair products
A radical but very effective solution. If you have tried other methods and they have not been effective, we advise you to completely rethink your hair care habits. Do a thorough check of the care products on the shelves in your bathroom. Perhaps you are mistakenly using one that does not suit your hair type? Sometimes it is very useful to completely update the usual hair care products that, due to frequent use, have ceased to benefit your hair. New beneficial components of nourishing shampoos like Mythic Oil will "wake up" your hair, making it more attractive, and give it the opportunity to look great even a couple of days after washing your hair.
