Want to Have Your Most Productive Day Ever? Body Clock Experts Recommend Super Schedule
By: Bean Jones
Quick Study. If you've got new data to digest, do it between 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
My erratic time management strategy has given way to an out-of-whack body clock for the nth time. For the past couple of days, I've slept late and have started writing at lunch time. This schedule didn't work out as great as I had hoped--and now I know exactly why. I've been running on the wrong schedule.
"The difference between a job well done and job not done could hinge on the time of day you tackle it," says Dr. Timothy Monk, editor of Sleep, Sleepiness, and Performance and director of the University of Pittsburgh's Human Chronobiology Research Program, which studies body rhythms.
To help people like me get back on the productivity track, Monk and his team of researchers have come up with an hour-by-hour guide that'll help us get more things done throughout the day. Check it out and see if you can work on this clock:
7 a.m. to 8 a.m. Get out of the house and go for a brisk walk around the neighborhood. Those friendly early-morning rays help set your internal clock and the light exercise stimulates the release of those feel-good endorphins. The result: You'll get your mind revved-up for work without relying on caffeine.8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Your brain is most receptive to intellectual stimulation at this time. If possible, tune in to the news or read it online during this time of the day. You'll be more likely to retain the information that comes your way since your brain is still fresh and uncluttered.
10 a.m. to 11 a.m. The region of the brain that's linked to reasoning registers peak performance at around this time. So, write a report, draft a proposal, review notes, and talk shop with your co-workers. This is also the ideal time for brainstorming sessions.
11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Experts estimate that you're bound to be hyperalert at this time. Thus, this could be the perfect time to call for a meeting. Plus, your vocal chords, which have rested overnight, are still running on full power at this point. Schedule your telephone conferences or online meetings.
1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Your blood pressure and adrenaline levels drop after lunch. Fight off post-lunch drowsiness by popping a piece of mint gum. Its refreshing scent and the act of chewing will help give you your second wind. If that doesn't do it for you, get up and walk around your building for 10 to fifteen minutes. Use this as an opportunity to get to know the people from other departments. Aside from giving you the stimulation you need, your unexpected "tour" will do wonders for office relations.
2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Still feeling sluggish? Save the tasks that you can do on "autopilot" for this part of your day. This is the perfect time to return routine calls, write standard hi-and-how-are-you e-mails, or submit mini-updates to your boss or team. You could also opt to have a quick chat with a friend at the office or over the phone. Interacting with others will give your brain the energy boost it needs.
4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Studies suggest that this is a good time to do detail-oriented tasks such as balancing budgets, confirming reservations, as well as editing and proofreading drafts. Oddly enough, we become more meticulous at around quitting time.
With a schedule crafted by body clock experts, you're sure to have a very productive workday. How can you go wrong? Then again, I'm hoping Monk and company can also draw up an hourly guide for those who work on the night shift such as health workers and law enforcers. They, too, need to know how they can keep their energy up during their work hours.
Credits: Photo by Keith Weller, courtesy of the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service
Comments
This is all well and good for "larks" (day people); what about night owls? Can this be adapted for us, or does this not take us into account?
It's bizarre... my body has always pushed me to be completely nocturnal, despite my resistance.
But recently I gave in and started working all night until 6am and going to bed until 1pm (I'm an online entrepreneur so I can get away with it).
And I noticed my sleep was much better, I was more fresh throughout the day, and boy did I get a HECK of a lot more work done in the middle of the night.
No distractions, errands to run, phone ringing, emails... just nothing but pure, solid, focused, productive work between midnight and 5 or 6 in the morning.
My body HATES going to be early for some reason... even if I slept only 3 hours the night before. I don't get it!
Hi Mark and Bean,
Great article, one which I will definately be using.
I've saved this to my PC for future referance.
When planning my day I am going to look over this to see if the task fits the time!
All the best,
Brian Collins
http://www.briancollins.name
I've always been a nightowl since preschool age, but as I get older (56 now) I find myself no longer just a late nighter, but an all nighter, and into the next afternooner. Sometimes now I don't go to bed until noon. Also, what I've discovered about myself is that I don't run on a 24 hour body clock, but more of a 26 hour clock. And it seems that my "days" get longer by about 15 minutes every year. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with my health problems, the meds I take, or the fact that I'm also being treated for sleep apnea. But, for me, the best sleep comes during the day, and if I could schedule my medicine to allow me to write all night, that has always been a good writing time for me. What I hate about being a night owl, though, is that I'm out of sinc with the schedules of my friends, doctor appointments and other things I need to do during the day. Thank God Wal-Mart is open 24 hours, so at least I can do my grocery shopping at midnight...when I have a running vehicle to do it with, which I currently don't.
I guess the best thing to do is know your own body, see what schedule works best for you, try to get that schedule to work with the rest of your life, and don't be surprised if your body schedule changes.
Oh, I also notice that when the clocks change from daylight savings time in the fall, my body will suddenly want to go to bed EARLIER (sometimes as early as 6PM) and get up anywhere from 2AM to 8Am for about 2 weeks. I'm not sure if it's a need for more sunlight or what.
Anybody else discover their body clock changes with the change from daylight savings time to standard time?
- writeroffthelake
Enjoyed this so much I submitted it at Stumble Upon
Thanks for the useful info.
Rod
This is a great piece of information.
How about the time from 6pm onwards to sleeping?
To reset your body clock when time changes, tap in front of. Your righjt shoulder alternating with left lower abdomen. Do both spots by using right handed fingertips on right shouder and left fingertips on abdomen. Tap quickly and you clock will reset in a few seconds.
Some excellent advice here. Have printed it out and put it on my pin board to remind me.
Michelle
Book -
Understanding the I Ching
by Hellmut Wilhelm & Richard Wilhelm
Has an awesome description of the 24 hr cycle describing ideal human activities from an "heaven-man-earth energetic" perspective. Those night owls who have written on this thread can really relate to it.
I want to respect the copy right so I wont post it.
However you might be able to get a copy from your local library or bookseller
I remember reading an article in TIME that proposed 2 biorhythm schedules - one like the one mentioned above, and one for nightowls. Like me. I feel like I wake up 9pm and want to go to sleep at 10am. One day, if I ever start my own society, I'll be free to try this out. I'm jealous of the online entrepreneur I can tell you.
Although this is interesting, I have the concern that I too am a night owl. Contradictory to this list, I do not start to feel even remotely alert until the afternoon despite years of having a regular early morning schedule. It would be interesting to see an adapted version for people like BinkyM and I.
7 a.m. to 8 a.m. Take the mice out of the cage and place a brisk piece of cheese around the neighborhood. Those friendly early-morning rays help set up positive reinforcement and the release of those feel-good endorphins in our mice. The result: The mice are physically active without relying on caffeine.
8 a.m. to 10 a.m. A mouse's brain is most receptive to intellectual stimulation at this time. If possible, stimulate the mice with obnoxious news and radio commercials. They will be more likely to retain the information that comes their way since their brain is still fresh and uncluttered.
10 a.m. to 11 a.m. The region of the mouse's brain that's linked to reasoning registers peak performance at around this time. So, write a report, draft a proposal, review notes, and talk shop with your co-workers about your epic thesis. This is also the ideal time for brainstorming sessions.
11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Experts estimate that mice are bound to be hyper-alert at this time. Thus, this could be the perfect time to call for a bell curve distribution. Plus, their vocal chords, which have rested overnight, are still running on full power at this point. Schedule your three ring circus!
1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Mouse blood pressure and adrenaline levels drop after lunch. To fight off post-lunch drowsiness mice pop holes out of walls. When a mouse senses cheese, the refreshing scent and the act of chewing will help give them their second wind. If that doesn't do it for mice, they get up and walk around the building for 10 to fifteen minutes. Use this as an opportunity to get to know the people from other departments. Aside from giving mice the stimulation they need for the proper result, your unexpected "tour" will do wonders for office relations.
2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Still feeling sluggish? Save the tasks that you can do on "autopilot" for this part of your day. This is the perfect time to return the mice to their respective cages, write standard hi-and-how-are-you e-mails to fellow researchers, or submit mini-updates to your boss or team. You could also opt to have a quick chat with a friend at the office or over the phone of how fed up you are over testing animals rather than people. Interacting with others will give your brain the energy boost it needs.
4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Studies suggest that this is a good time to do detail-oriented tasks such as balancing masses, confirming observations, as well as editing and proofreading the thesis. Oddly enough, we become more meticulous at around quitting time.
Yeah, if you work in an office building and are the boss.
I'm so tired of the white collar feel good crap.
You know what'll help you be productive? Getting a job that doesn't somehow profit The Company.
I find my most productive and creative time is between 9:00pm and 3:00am.
Creating a schedule is very helpful and makes sure you stay on schedule. I totally agree with the time schedule. I actually just wrote an article on this myself: Optimize Your Time. But overall it really depends on your body and your schedule. The times are not set in stone.
It's no surprise to me that from 2pm to 4pm is a common "down" time for most people - myself included!