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Being a productive person doesn’t just happen. Much like the phenomenon of “adulting” I had just assumed that as I grew up I would magically become productive. But, alas, just like changing a flat tire or making mac ‘n’ cheese, learning to be productive is a skill.
The Problem
Conformity
Do you remember when you were in kindergarten and there was always that one kid that was sneaking off for a nap in the middle of the day? Or in high school where someone would always be late for homeroom because they just couldn’t seem to get up and out of the house first thing in the morning?
When I got to University I was like “I’m going to stay out late and it’s going to be awesome!” But I was always zonked by 10pm. So 3 hour night classes were terrible and trying to go out with friends was the death of me.
A major problem that I’ve come across is that everyone is expected to be productive at the same times during the day. And we just aren’t.
Everyone has a natural rhythm and working against it can lead to burn out, low quality work and strained relationships.
Our societal and schooling system tries to build this conformity but it’s not necessarily in everyone’s best interest.
- Related: 6 Time Management Strategies
- Related: 4 Easy ways to Save an Hour a Day
Little Autonomy
Since most of us grow up in a system that tells us what to do and when, we build a very specific set of habits that don’t take into consideration our energy cycles.
Even later in life, we are told when we’ll be at work, when we can eat, when we go home, when to sleep. Since we often feel like it’s all laid out, we don’t question why we feel tired or why it takes us a long time to do simple tasks. We just figure we’re not good at it or there is something wrong with us.
If we learned how to listen to our bodies and had more flexibility and autonomy over how we use our time there is great potential to increase our productivity. We just need a little autonomy and support while we’re learning to be productive.
So what do we do?
There is good news!
Even within a very structured
When do you feel the most energetic?
Have you heard of a night owl and an early bird? These are two basic examples of starting points for figuring out when you’re most productive. Chances are you categorize yourself as one of these.
Think about your typical day. Here are some suggestions to help you:
- Are you groggy and
short tempered in the morning or do you wake up with energy and enthusiasm? - Do you get tired after you eat or exercise or right in the middle of the afternoon or maybe when the sun starts to go down?
- Do you get a “second wind” at some point during the day that spurs you to action?
- Maybe you perk up after dinner and can hammer out a bunch of
to dos in the last evening or even into the early hours of the morning?
I’ve made a productivity time worksheet to help you with this, you can have it emailed to you by filling out the fields below, that way you have what you need to get started.
After you think about these questions, make an outline of what you think your energy cycle is. Remember this is just theory right now so make a point to test it over a week.
Review your day and try to remember when you felt great and when you felt tired. Does it match your original thoughts? Make changes as needed.
My current energy levels follow this pattern:
- 7:30am – wake up- moderate energy
- 8:00-9:30am energy increasing (still moderate)
- 9:30am-2:30pm – high energy
- 2:30-4pm – nose dive to low energy
- 4-8pm – second wind! -high energy
- 8-9pm-slow down -moderate energy
- 9pm+- low energy – night routine
Using your cycle
After you know when you’re typically high energy and when you’re not you can augment your day to your advantage. Choose to do tasks that take a lot of energy (mental, physical or emotional) at the times of the day that you’re high energy and lower energy or less important things when you’re low energy.
Sounds simple right?
Learning to be Productive
Developing your schedule
Depending on the variety of tasks you have to do on a weekly basis you can plan your tasks weekly or daily. Repetitive daily tasks can be scheduled for the same time of day since it will require the same energy level. Ex. I like to check my email in the morning and go over my day between 8:30-9am then do my lowest energy work task.
I then switch into tasks that require more mental focus around 10:30am and keep with those things until I start to feel a bit droopy. Once that hits I eat lunch and read or move into another lower energy activity
Next, I do the dinner and homework rush during
You might have
- Related: Develop a Morning Routine
- Related: Put Together an Amazing Evening Routine
We’re all different
We’re all a little different but if you try your best to match your tasks with times your energy levels suit them you’ll find it way easier to get them accomplished. Doing this will mean you spend a lot less time feeling like you’re beating your brain in when you’re trying to do something you know shouldn’t take that long.
You’re just not that productive at that time. Do it later!
You can save a ton of time and energy this way and
