Latest news with #Suzuki
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Health
- Time of India
THIS morning habit is silently destroying your focus and productivity, explains brain expert-- Here's how to fix it
In today's digital age and fast-paced world, grabbing your phone first thing in the morning feels completely normal to many. Most of us do it without thinking— checking messages, social media, or the latest news before we even get out of bed. But according to Dr. Wendy Suzuki, a well-known neuroscientist and professor at New York University, this common habit might actually be causing more damage to your brain. According to the brain expert, checking your phone first thing in the morning can adversely affect your ability to focus, think clearly, and be creative throughout the day. In a recent Instagram video from her Mindful Mondays series, Dr. Suzuki explained why this morning routine could be holding you back from feeling your best. She says the first few minutes after you wake up are extremely important for your brain. This is when your brain enters what she calls 'peak neuroplastic mode.' The morning brain boost you're missing So, what is neuroplasticity? It's the brain's ability to learn and adapt, and it is at its highest right after you wake up. During this time, your brain's chemical levels—especially dopamine and cortisol—are naturally higher. While cortisol is often known as the 'stress hormone,' Dr. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Find out: this is how you clean your yoga mat! Kingdom Of Men Undo Suzuki says that in the morning, it actually helps motivate you and sharpen your focus. This is your brain's best time for setting goals, being creative, and preparing for the day ahead. But what happens when you grab your phone first thing? You basically interrupt this golden opportunity. The moment you look at your notifications or scroll through social media, your brain is flooded with information and emotional triggers—most of which you don't need early in the day. Dr. Suzuki says this forces your brain into 'high alert' mode, making you feel anxious, stressed, or scattered before you've even gotten out of bed. A simple 20-minute trick can help boost focus and happiness Luckily, Dr. Suzuki has a simple solution. She suggests a small experiment: for the next five mornings, delay looking at your phone by just 20 minutes. Instead, spend this time doing something calm and positive— stretching, writing down your main goals for the day, or simply enjoying your coffee without any digital distractions. According to Dr. Suzuki, this small change helps your brain stay focused, calm, and productive. In a world that constantly demands your attention, giving yourself just 20 minutes of peace in the morning can be the key to feeling more in control, happy, and clear-minded all day long. 7 Positive habits to start your day
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Health
- Time of India
This morning habit is wasting your brain's peak power hour, warns neuroscientist
Neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki suggests avoiding phone use first thing in the morning. She says it disrupts the brain's peak neuroplasticity. Checking phones immediately spikes cortisol and hijacks focus. Suzuki recommends delaying screen time for just 20 minutes. Instead, stretch, write down goals, or simply enjoy coffee. This allows the mind to process and prepare for the day. Neuroscientist Dr. Wendy Suzuki suggests that checking your phone first thing in the morning can disrupt your brain's peak neuroplasticity. This habit hijacks focus and elevates cortisol levels, leading to anxiety. (Image: iStock) Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Your Brain's Golden Window: Neuroplasticity at Its Peak Phones Are Stealing Your Brain's Spotlight Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The Neuroscientist's 20-Minute Fix In today's hyper-connected world, scrolling through your phone first thing in the morning may seem harmless — even natural. But according to neuroscientist Dr. Wendy Suzuki , this seemingly routine gesture could be the very thing disrupting your brain's potential. In a recent Mindful Mondays Instagram reel, the New York University professor revealed how this habit could be sabotaging your mental clarity , creativity, and focus before you even brush your teeth.'When you first wake up, your brain is in peak neuroplastic mode,' Dr. Suzuki explained in her video. This is the brain's most flexible, learning-friendly state — a time when dopamine and cortisol levels are naturally elevated. Contrary to what many believe about stress hormones, this early morning cortisol spike isn't harmful. In fact, it helps boost motivation and primes your mind for focus and creativity But the trouble begins when that state is hijacked.'If your first move in the morning is checking your phone, your brain misses out on its most powerful window of the day,' Dr. Suzuki said in the Instagram reel. That instant influx of notifications, news, and social media updates sends your nervous system into high alert, disrupting the calm balance and redirecting your attention externally — often to anxiety-inducing or dopamine-draining caption further drives the point home: 'Reaching for your phone first thing spikes cortisol, hijacks your focus, and puts your nervous system into high alert before you've even taken a breath.'Instead of grabbing your phone, Dr. Suzuki recommends a simple yet effective experiment. 'For the next five mornings, delay screen time by just 20 minutes,' she suggested. What should you do instead? Something that centres you.'Stretch. Write down three things you want to focus on. Or just sit with your coffee and your thoughts,' she advised. By giving your mind some space before the floodgates of digital distractions open, you allow it to process, prepare, and a world that glorifies constant connectivity, perhaps the best way to take control of your day is to start by disconnecting — even if just for 20 minutes.
Daily Maverick
a day ago
- Automotive
- Daily Maverick
Almost R1-billion to fuel Ford's journey to transform dealerships and keep customers for life
After 103 years in South Africa, Ford is doubling down on its dealer network and customer experience in the face of economic pressures, global disruption and a changing local market. Ford has weathered world wars, oil shocks and economic downturns since setting up shop in South Africa in 1923. Now it faces a market hit by affordability pressures, global supply shocks and a tidal wave of overseas competitors. Ford South Africa president Neale Hill believes the answer to this is a better customer experience. 'The experience we want to give our customers is not only in terms of the vehicles that they drive, but the ownership experience coming into dealerships needs to match that positioning in our vehicles,' Hill said. This repositioning comes after Ford ranked fourth in Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) market share with 6.5% and 3,058 units sold, trailing Toyota, Suzuki and Volkswagen in June. A 'family promise' Central to Ford's strategic pivot is its so-called 'Ford family promise' – a set of 22 initiatives aimed at smoothing out the pain points of owning a car. Unlike a guarantee, Hill calls it a 'proactive approach'. This ecosystem leans on Ford dealerships across the country with the goal of covering the entire customer journey, such as servicing, extended plans, warranties and finance under one roof. As Ford shifts up in terms of its market positioning with vehicles it describes as 'premium quality', the service experience needs to match the positioning of its vehicles, said Hill. In June 2025, Ford overtook Hyundai in new vehicle sales volume, according to data from the Automotive Business Council. (Data visualisation: Kara le Roux ) R900m and a new look Big promises demand big money. Ford's dealership partners are investing more than R900-million into upgrades and new facilities by 2027. In 2024 alone, 20 projects were on the go, said Ford network operations manager Kuda Takura, valued at R292-million. The company operates across 118 dealerships, supporting 10,600 jobs, according to Takura. Investments are split between 'greenfield projects' (new builds) and 'brownfield' upgrades to existing facilities. Ford is rolling out a new 'signature design' across its network, a concept dreamed up with input from its research team in the US. Forget showroom floors packed with cars. 'One would think the first thing you want to see when you walk into a dealership is a motor vehicle. Instead, you see what we call the 'social hub', a space where you come together,' Takura said. It's designed to be a comforting space customers want to spend time in, as an emotionally connected customer tends to spend twice as much and stay loyal, said Michael Zahariev, co-founder of Luxity, a designer reseller in South Africa. 'While the product might get you through the door, the experience is what keeps you coming back.' Ford's data seems to align with this retail trend. 'Dealers who invest in retail design and design standards see an uptick in their vehicle sales together with overall profits,' Takura said. A game of 'three-dimensional chess' Hill describes the auto industry as being in 'a very interesting state of flux' – a diplomatic way of describing a sector in which automakers are playing 'a game of three-dimensional chess', he said, with propulsion choices, new energy vehicles and battery electric in the mix. Indian and Chinese imports are flooding South Africa. In 2024, India accounted for 57% of imported passenger cars and lightweight vehicles; China was second at 17%, the Automotive Business Council's (Naamsa) data shows. South Africa now has 14 Chinese brands in play, Naamsa said, six of them launched last year alone. Growth is strongest in passenger vehicles and mini and small utility segments, according to Ford sales director Ryan Searle – categories Ford no longer serves. That shift has cost Ford market share, though it still grew sales by 8% year on year, said sales chief Ryan Searle. Its workhorse Ranger bakkie remains the backbone, making up 70% of volume, with the Territory SUV gaining traction. Tariff wars, protectionist policies and fractured supply chains have turned the industry into a geopolitical pressure cooker. 'It's going to take quite a while for this to settle down and for absolute clarity to come to the fore in terms of what the auto industry as a whole looks like at the end of it. You've got markets that are now seeing that tariffs are an acceptable form of defence,' Hill says. 'The first six months of Mr Trump being in the White House, he's certainly thrown the proverbial – I wouldn't even call it a cat, I'd probably call it a fox or a lynx – among the pigeons.' What this means for you Ford dealerships will start to look and feel more like luxury lounges than showrooms. Servicing your vehicle might become easier with online bookings and pickup options. Imported brands may keep vehicle prices competitive, but tariffs could change that. Local auto jobs remain at risk if manufacturing slows. An industry on edge South Africa's auto sector is one of the country's largest manufacturing segments, employing about 112,000 people directly and supporting about 320,000 jobs when you include the supply chain, according to the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition's 2035 Master Plan. That's why Hill bristles at the idea of losing local production to imports. 'When you lose a manufacturing sector, you never get it back,' he warned, pointing to Goodyear's recent decision to shut its Kariega plant. 'That's testament to low to no growth rates, no economic development and an economy that is stagnating.' The fear is that if local OEMs falter, the ripple effect will gut suppliers, jobs and export earnings. Hill argues that some form of government intervention – incentives, support – is non-negotiable to keep the industry viable. DM
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Man dies in crash involving motorcycle and car in Cornwall
A motorcyclist has died in a crash with a car in Cornwall, police have crash involving a black Suzuki motorbike and a blue Peugeot happened at about 09:00 BST on Friday, on the A387 Polperro Road near Looe, Devon and Cornwall Police said. Police said a man in his 30s from the St Austell area died at the scene, which was at the junction with Oaklands Holiday with information was asked to contact police.
West Australian
2 days ago
- West Australian
‘Not my car': Elite school grad's callous statement after fatal crash that killed grandmother, 72
A former elite private school graduate whose 'reprehensible' driving killed a beloved grandmother in a horrific crash made a bizarre statement to witnesses before fleeing to hide in a muddy drain. Andrew Julian Stewart-Smith, 29, was behind the wheel of a Holden Commodore when he killed Yrsa Christoffersen, 72, after ploughing into her Suzuki Swift in Kippa Ring, north of Brisbane, in September 2023. Devastated members of the Christoffersen family packed out Brisbane Supreme Court on Monday as Stewart-Smith – a former graduate of the elite Nudgee College in Boondall – learnt his fate. In a heartbreaking statement, Ms Christoffersen's daughter Maria remembered her mother as the 'kindest person' she had ever known and the morning of her death was meant to be a normal morning 'like any other'. 'The next thing I knew, I woke up in a hospital bed, feeling pain like I had never known,' she said. 'I remember asking where my mum was, and they wouldn't tell me. 'The way they looked at me though, I knew. I could see it on their faces.' Maria said she felt like her 'world had been shattered' upon learning her mother had died. The court was told her recovery in hospital was difficult and she was left unable to chew food for weeks due to her fractured jaw. 'I still feel the effects today, some days I can't move the way I used to,' Maria said. 'Mum's death was sudden, violent and unexpected. 'I will always miss her. I'm trying to move forward, but it's hard. It's a daily struggle.' She questioned whether Stewart-Smith would ever take responsibility for his actions or continue to cause 'more pain' – to which the 29-year-old did not react. The court was told Stewart-Smith was seen driving erratically – at times swerving between cars and failing to give way – while reaching speeds of more than 100km/h on the morning of September 22, 2023. At one point, he pulled over on the side of the road and stole number plates to attach to the Holden. Ms Christoffersen was driving her daughter Maria to work and turning at the intersection of Anzac Ave and Oleander St in Kippa Ring. Crown prosecutor Jordan Daniels said Stewart-Smith braked but collided with the Suzuki at up to 114km/h, throwing it into the air. He fled the scene while telling bystanders: 'You don't understand, it's not my car.' Ms Christoffersen was declared deceased at the scene, while Maria was taken to hospital with serious injuries. Police located Stewart-Smith several hours later in a storm drain, covered in mud in a bid to conceal himself. When searched, police located clip-seal bags containing methylamphetamine and texts on his phone indicating he supplied the drugs a week before. More than 300 animated child exploitation images were also found on his phone. The court was told Maria would have been left with lifelong issues with her jaw – which left her unable to properly eat for weeks – without surgery. Justice Tom Sullivan said Stewart-Smith's conduct was 'reprehensible' and made worse by his traffic history, which was littered with speeding offences. Stewart-Smith pleaded guilty in March to charges of dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death and grievous bodily harm while excessively speeding and leaving the scene of a crash without obtaining help, supplying and possessing dangerous drugs and possessing child exploitation material. He also pleaded guilty to other charges of stealing, unlawful use of motor vehicles and failing to remain at the scene of an incident and render assistance as a driver. Stewart-Smith expressed remorse to the family in a letter and was experiencing 'nightmares' of what happened that day while in custody. Defence barrister Angus Edwards said his client had 'tried to make amends' through courses, isolating himself from anti-social prisoners 'He is ashamed of what he did that day,' Mr Edwards said. 'He wasn't out to hurt anybody that day, but he did. 'He's out to change.' The court was told Stewart-Smith had developed a drug problem after his substance use as a teenager. Mr Edwards explained his client was drug-affected when he downloaded the images subject to the child exploitation material charge. Justice Sullivan will sentence Stewart-Smith later in the afternoon.
