Each of us has maximum performance hours for different periods of the day. If you want to increase the efficiency of your work, it doesn’t matter whether you are a lark or an owl, you go for a run at 6 am or 6 pm. It is better to concentrate on how to use your day to the maximum benefit, to determine the time when you work better and feel more confident.
Many experts say that if you want to be a successful person, you should:
- wake up at 6 in the morning;
- take a cold shower;
- do exercises;
- engage in meditation;
- brainstorm and fill out a book of records for the last day;
- clearly define goals;
- Browse news and specialized sites in your field of activity;
- get a boost of vigor from “inspiring content”;
- eat a protein-rich breakfast.
And all this needs to be done before 8 hours.
As soon as this daily routine became a dogma, kilometer-long sheets with lists of events began to appear everywhere - especially in the world of startups.
The daily routine is a useful thing, but is the emphasis correctly placed on the fact that all this needs to be done in the morning?
Why is it important to use the clock of your "peak" state
Each of us has maximum performance hours for different periods of the day. If you want to increase the efficiency of your work, it doesn’t matter whether you are a lark or an owl, you go for a run at 6 am or 6 pm.
It is better to concentrate on how to use your day to the maximum benefit, to determine the time when you work better and feel more confident. American motivational speaker and author of various self-development techniques, Brian Tracy states:
“The most effective time is that period of the day when a person, in accordance with his biological clock, is most concentrated and efficient.”
The correct use of this time will significantly increase productivity.
The entrepreneur and founder of JotForm Aytekin Tank, whose thoughts formed the basis of this article, spent 12 years building his company with a hundred employees and 3.5 million users. Throughout this period, he had to take into account his life rhythms.
Doing the most important work at the most productive time for yourself will help you maintain motivation, achieve steady progress and avoid feelings of depression.
Tank says he still enjoys his work.
How to map your “magic clock”
Scientists have long been studying the biological rhythms of the human body. There is even a special science dealing with the study of periodic phenomena that occur in living organisms in time - chronobiology.
Probably everyone has heard of such a thing as "circadian rhythms." These are time-cyclic fluctuations in the intensity of biological processes in the body. They determine the cycles of sleep and wakefulness, body temperature and the hormonal level of a person.
During a normal working day, we are dealing with periods of rise and fall of ultradian rhythms (biorhythms lasting less than a day). These periods take from 90 to 120 minutes. It is ultradian rhythms that determine the state in which you begin to perform the task: vigor or fatigue.
Alternating periods of ups and downs in vital energy are normal and regular. It is very important to be able to determine your biorhythms and work with them, and not against them.
To assess their strength, concentration and motivation, it is recommended to conduct a three-week experiment with setting these parameters at points at the end of each hour from 1 to 10.
Filling out performance tables and compiling energy maps may seem like a tedious task, but very soon you will see the results of this work.
From the results obtained, it is necessary to discard the anomalous values, which became, for example, the result of a sleepless night or a terrible cold. As a result, you can set your most favorable periods for work.
Exercise your body and thoughts
If the morning routine, scheduled to the minute, works for a "business guru", this does not mean that it will work for you.
Consider how the planned daily routine of Aytekin Tank helps in the work. Every morning he eats a light breakfast and does morning exercises with his personal trainer. Regardless of whether he has motivation or not, he comes to exercise and follows the instructions of his coach.
After 20 minutes from the beginning of the morning workout, Tank feels a surge of energy and says that this is the moment of his awakening.
After an hour of physical training, the businessman takes a shower and goes to the office. Here he takes coffee and sets to work.
According to Tank, these are his favorite minutes during the working day. He feels fresh and concentrated, and his performance is at this peak.
Then he writes on a blank sheet the problem that he has to solve during the day. As a rule, it all starts with an incoherent stream of thoughts. However, after a few minutes in this chaos, Tank begins to come up with useful ideas.
He then converts the document into an easy-to-use format (draft email or presentation for his team). Such work takes him about two hours, and this is the most productive part of the working day.
According to Steven Covey, an American organizational management consultant, this way of recording your thoughts can be compared with the process of sharpening a saw. Instead of suffering with a blunt tool, we should spend more time sharpening the saw. When the time comes for sawing, with the help of a sharp saw we can complete the task more efficiently and accurately.
Aytekin Tank has an effective time in the morning. For other people, it can be noon or even 7 pm. To renew your energy, sometimes a cup of coffee or afternoon yoga is enough.
Try to do your best to properly use your most effective time.
Manage your work schedule
Entrepreneur and investor Paul Graham claims that for most positions one of two work schedules is suitable: manager and producer.
The leader’s schedule, as a rule, is compiled in a regular diary and is painted at hourly intervals. If necessary, you can reserve several hours to complete one task.
Writers, programmers, designers, and other creative professionals need to adhere to the manufacturer’s schedule, which divides the time by at least half a day.
As you know, it is very difficult to write, code and design in time blocks.
Excessive planning can completely disrupt the work of a person in the creative profession. It breaks up all the time into unsuitable parts for work and literally kills performance.
Graham says: “If I know there will be a break after lunch, I’m unlikely to start doing anything ambitious in the morning. Isn’t you in a good mood at the thought of what you have at your disposal the whole day to do the main work without any additional tasks? It also means that otherwise you will feel some depression. ”
According to Tank, entrepreneurs are both managers and producers.On the one hand, they need to produce a product, and on the other hand, they need to meet with contractors and suppliers.
Therefore, Tank divides its working day into two parts. In the first half of the day he works as a producer, and he devotes the second for meetings and meetings and works as a leader.
Use rest time wisely
Aytekin Tank is a supporter that rest should occupy an important place in the work process.
At the end of the working week, he constantly rests. Once a year he returns to his native places to collect olives with his family. Work outside the office, according to Tank, revitalizes his body and spirit. It is very important to use rest time correctly.
In 2016, Scott Barry, a specialist in efficiency, found that 72% of people are charged with creative ideas while taking a shower. Tank refers to this category of people.
On Sundays, he constantly spends time with his wife and children. They go to the playground or go on a picnic.
According to Tank, relaxation stimulates creative thinking. Clever thoughts often come to him during a visit with the son of a gaming town.
Protect Your Effective Time
Your most effective watch is a priceless currency. Draw clear boundaries for them and protect them with all your might.
Use this time to perform the most complex, creative and stressful tasks.
Do not plan any meetings for this time and do not let other people bother you.
Tank, for example, in such hours does not immediately respond to letters from the staff of his team. But he devotes another part of the day to this. As a result, not a single email from his team members remains unanswered for more than one business day.
Thus, take the time to get to know yourself better. Track your biorhythms and make a plan for using the most effective watches.
After all, your peak state is a secret weapon. Use it wisely and your productivity will grow.