Getting Things Done with Kratom or Mushrooms: Productivity

Being productive is not just about being busy. It’s about actually achieving something that’s personally worthwhile, whether it involves doing chores, having a meeting at work, or studying. Some people set aside time to get things done, while others want to be productive every day. 

One of the difficulties in being productive is the inability to inspire a feeling of motivation in oneself. Another is achieving the mental focus and clarity one needs for efficient results without sacrificing mental and emotional well-being afterward. Kratom and legal mushrooms each have usefulness in helping one achieve completion of more tasks (yes, even the usual “boring” ones) and being more prolific while maintaining mental wellness, whether you’re at home, outside, or at work. If you’re looking for a supplement to boost personal efficiency, either one could be right for you. 

Inside the Brain of Someone Productive

The main neurotransmitter that drives motivation and satisfaction is dopamine, which you know as one of those “feel-good” chemicals. However, there are two other neurotransmitters involved in getting things done: Noradrenaline and acetylcholine. In fact, all three are necessary to achieve a state of flow. To be truly fruitful, there has to be a continuous output with little to no interruption or distraction. It is not enough to feel a sense of accomplishment after completing one task, but to be able to move on to the next with ease. 

• Dopamine is the brain’s movement, motivation, and reward messenger. It’s responsible for the feeling of accomplishment and a sense of fun. 
• Noradrenaline (norepinephrine) is also a hormone and regulates the body’s “fight or flight” stress response, focus, alertness, and arousal. Fear or uncertainty triggers it, and it’s the right amount of uncertainty – getting out of one’s comfort zone – people need to be productive. 
• Acetylcholine controls learning, attention, memory, and arousal. It regulates focus.  

What Happens During Procrastination?

When someone has a habit of putting off tasks, it means the brain’s reward system is messed up. The three neurotransmitters are still present, but they are being triggered by the wrong stimuli. Procrastinators report that they perform better under pressure, such as when there is a deadline – and that implies the pressure triggered the noradrenaline they needed to finish things. 

Kratom for Efficient Energy 

To understand how kratom increases productivity, it’s necessary to examine its chemicals that affect the brain. Kratom is an opioid and works on the opioid receptors in the brain. It’s made up of mostly mitragynine, plus a tiny amount of 7-hydroxymitragynine. Mitragynine increases the neuroplasticity of the reward system of the brain, meaning that either the kratom user can feel a greater sense of accomplishment or fun from what they do or want to do, or less of that sense. 

It all depends on  dosage and duration of use. If a user takes large amounts of kratom in the long term, they will rewire their brain’s reward system and feel depressed when not taking kratom. But if they take low doses, they can get a stimulating effect that is motivating and energy-promoting, something altogether different from the caffeine rush in a morning cup of coffee. 

Mushrooms for Better Performance

There are two main types of mushrooms publicly available today with a wide range of variations in formulas that give people many options to choose from: Functional or synthetic. 

Functional mushrooms or medicinal mushrooms may be adaptogenic, nootropic, or both. Adaptogenic mushrooms are nature’s stress-busters, while nootropic mushrooms enhance cognition and are also known as “smart drugs.” These formulas are often dried and powdered or extractions from the mushrooms, which can often include lion’s mane, chaga, reishi, cordyceps, or turkey tail. They increase neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and GABA. 

Synthetic mushrooms involve scientifically-created formulas that work similarly to psilocybin mushrooms. They do so by being serotonin (5-HT) agonists, which trigger the release of serotonin, but they may also trigger GABA, which is necessary for calm, memory, and attention. More importantly, like psilocybin, they reorganize activation patterns the brain. They are often for the purpose of microdosing to increase high-functioning productivity, although some products may be for recreational use and achieve a hallucinogenic trip.  

Comparison Table

The Verdict

Choose kratom if you seek better mood, focus, and energy at low doses to achieve productivity. Real Botanicals kratom comes as precisely-dosed capsules for get-up-and-go stimulation and kratom and kava shots with your option of more kratom or more kava for the perfect balance of productivity and calm. On the other hand, if you want productivity along with creativity, choose mushrooms. We recommend Mindless Mushrooms by Real Botanicals, which give you the precise dosage of splittable 5 mg tablets made explicitly for microdosing. 

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