Промо на dev.ua That's Life 26 December 2025, 10:23

A finish line without chaos: how to close the year in a collected manner and enter the new year stronger

December for businesses feels like a finishing sprint — reports, deadlines, budget planning and strategies for the coming year. According to the Kansas Journal of Medicine , stress at work reduces productivity by 40%: attention is scattered, working memory is overloaded, and decision-making speed drops. The brain gets a double load: daily tasks plus managing information flows.

In a business context, this means: chaotic December deadlines can "eat up" resources if they are not systematically supported. Another reason is the festive mood, which creates additional psychological pressure - the brain "switches" between holidays and work tasks. Sopro surveys show that about 29% of employees "switch off" a week before Christmas, and another 23% say that their productivity drops already in early December.

In this article, we tell you how not to "extinguish" stress, but to create a state of resourcefulness while the brain works at its maximum.

Clarity of thought as capital: why focus makes all the difference

A balanced diet, enough sleep, and attention to rest are the recipe for productivity and clarity throughout the year. And systematically, this also gives a boost during final assignments. One of the founders of positive psychology, Martin Seligman, confirmed: “Sleep is the cheapest way to recover.” However, “sleeping in on January 1st” does not work as a recovery strategy. If you have Whoop, then you know how difficult it is to repay your “sleep debt” — if you miss just 30 minutes of sleep every day, you accumulate 10.5 hours of deficit in 21 workdays. In fact, this is more than a full workday that you will spend in a state of reduced cognitive abilities.

Sleep deprivation is not compensated by “catching up”: studies show that even after several days of extended sleep, the brain does not fully recover its attention or reaction speed. This means that during peak periods, the team does not work at its full potential, even if it seems that resources have already been restored.

That’s why prominent entrepreneurs are increasingly focusing not only on time management but also on cognitive support. For example, Jack Dorsey, during his CEO tenure at Twitter, followed an intermittent fasting protocol and took nootropics, while Andrew Huberman (host of the world-famous health podcast Huberman Lab, a neuroscientist, and professor at Stanford School of Medicine) promotes scientifically proven supplements for dopamine and concentration. Balanced dietary supplements that affect memory, attention, focus, and energy levels help reduce the effects of accumulated fatigue, stabilize concentration, and improve decision-making during periods of high stress. It has been proven that certain nutrients, including L-Theanine, enhance cognitive functions in the long term: from sustained attention to the ability to quickly switch tasks and maintain clarity of thought under stress.

What makes the brain and nervous system work?

Concentration ceases to be a “personal quality” and becomes a manageable tool. In order not to try to squeeze the maximum out of the body in the pre-New Year sprint, the resource state and stable performance must be maintained for months. And here biochemistry comes into play. Some nutrients and biologically active molecules really affect the functioning of the brain: they support neurotransmission, reduce the level of stress reactions and help stabilize energy processes. So part of the “internal resource” can be strengthened with the help of certain supplements - here's how they work:

Phosphatidylserine is a phospholipid that occurs naturally in brain cell membranes and is industrially extracted from soybeans or sunflowers. A study in the Journal of Affective Disorders found that adults with mild cognitive impairment who took the supplement improved their short-term memory more than those who took a placebo.

L-Theanine is an amino acid from green tea that, when combined with coffee, improves attention and working memory more than either component alone. The advantage is that the element balances caffeine, reducing its negative effects - anxiety, overexcitement, headache.

Bacopa Monnieri is an Indian adaptogen in Ayurvedic medicine that has caused a surge in the Internet: 2,000 searches per month on Google, an average of 13,000 views per week on TikTok, articles in The Times of India , MSN and the New York Post . It improves long-term memory and speeds up the process of information processing.

Lion's Mane is an edible mushroom from Asia that successfully stimulates neuronal regeneration, according to a study in the Journal of Neurochemistry , confirming that nerves do regenerate.

Ashwagandha KSM-66 is a concentrated extract of the ashwagandha root used in Ayurvedic medicine. It may help reduce overall anxiety, and taking 600 mg daily for 8 months reduced cortisol levels by 27% compared to a placebo.

Systemic care VS one-time jerks

Sustained attention and clarity of thought occur when the brain receives support regularly, not just occasionally. For professionals with dynamic tasks — marketers, managers, creatives, entrepreneurs — this means one thing: the habits that help you "survive" the December rush also work in your daily routine. Why?

Neuroplasticity works slowly
Changes in neuronal connections take weeks to form , so Phosphatidylserine, Lion's Mane and Bacopa - components with a cumulative effect - work gradually and are included in Crystal Mind from Perla Helsa. Thanks to this combination, the body receives improved concentration without the use of stimulants. The first results appear after 20 days of taking the supplement, and a stable effect on cognitive endurance becomes noticeable after 2-3 months.

Systematicity is more important than peak benefit
The brain works more efficiently when levels of stress hormones, dopamine, and cortisol are stabilized rather than fluctuating. It is the long-term effects of nutrients that provide this stability — reducing “noise” in the nervous system and making thinking clearer.

A time manager that empowers
When you’re deep in your work, it’s important to focus on one task at a time: stick to one tab in your browser and turn on Do Not Disturb on your phone. Switching between pages gives the false impression that you’re getting a lot of work done. In fact, the chaotic switching just tires you out.