Aside from buying a copy of MS Office(TM), there are some other, non-traditional ways to increase personal productivity. Consider the following:
Listening to Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major has been touted as a way to improve memory, learning and reasoning. In 1993 it was dubbed the “Mozart Effect“, and it had parents buying Mozart’s music to play to their infants and children. Detractors have since been unkind, to put it mildly. But now, new research indicates that the “Mozart Effect” may well be true. This article indicates that investigators at Stanford have found measurable positive effects in the brains of rats exposed to the Sonata. These rats performed better on various tasks after listening to this particular piece of piano music.

Therefore, if the “Mozart Effect” is true, then this blog can claim: Click here to increase your I.Q.! 
Switching from the auditory sense to the olfactory sense….
Peppermint has long been thought to have a beneficial effect on humans. Research here, indicates that physical tasks are considered about 20% easier by the subject, following administration of peppermint. In fact, there are commercial products that have been built around this effect, such as this inhaler from a company called Peak Performance:
Although this product is conveniently packaged, you can probably achieve the same effect by splashing some peppermint oil on yourself, or perhaps even by simply chewing some peppermint (not simulated) flavored gum.
Also EEG studies such as this one, and this one, indicate that peppermint is also a mild mental stimulant and increases brain beta-wave activity (15-20Hz), which is associated with alertness and mental activity.
In conclusion, I’m not sure if I completely believe these items. It seems to be a bit of a stretch that one composer would have such an effect, but not others. See this link for some background. On the other hand, and if you have a pending exam or important meeting, what’s the harm in some Mozart with peppermint?
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