Productivity Rhythms - Tips to Maximize Your Work

If you want to work smarter, not harder, then you want to be more productive because you will get more done in less time. This isn’t about shortcuts or anything like that; it’s about optimizing when and how you work. 

Understanding Focused and Diffuse Modes

There are two types of modes that we go between throughout our day. The first is focused mode, which is more of a concentrated effort on tasks, and the second is diffuse mode, where you can't really focus on just one task per se, at least not in a traditional way. It is the place where you find more creativity, insights, and connections. So, the ideal is to learn when you are in each of those modes and then to pair your mode with the tasks you need to accomplish. Because they do come down to a rhythm, and most people have a certain rhythm. I am going to tell you when to have meetings and not to have names depending on what you are trying to do, for example. 

Our modes tend to go between high and low alertness in approximately 1.5- to 2-hour cycles. I am a person who can just sit and work on one project in a very dedicated way for 1.5 to 2 hours, but I'm also a person who can sit down and my mind is going every which direction, and I can't focus at all. This is an example of diffuse mode and that is a time when I should be trying to do something more creative. There are also other things you can do to help creativity. Let's say you are in focused mode, and you are doing something like working on your taxes. This is going to be very effortful task that require focused mode. 

Practical Applications of Modes 

When you're done with that, the science would say to then take some sort of break, and then choose what you're going to do next. The likelihood is you will not be able to return to quite so much focus if your mode was very heavily focused. Instead, you might do something a little bit less taxing like doing something creative because your brain is probably ready to switch. So now I've finished doing my taxes for an hour and a half. I’m reviewing them, and it’s very, very exacting, and then I might stand up, get a glass of water, and look out the window. At that time, I would probably go do something else, like answer emails, as that is a little more creative since you have to take information in and you have to put some information out. 

What if you're in an actual creative field? You would have to figure out the times where you would prioritize creativity and might not prioritize focused tasks as much. Most people are their most focused in the morning because we wake up with cortisol. A lot of cortisol wakes us up, so we are focused. Whereas, in the afternoon, we are a little more mellow as we have gotten tasks out of the way, so they are out of our heads, and we are a little or a lot more creative. But that also has to do with the rhythms of our day. 

Ideal Times for Meetings 

What I tell most people is if you are going to have a meeting where you want strategic thinking and brainstorming, aim to do that in the afternoon. …Now, because some people are morning people, if you do it too late in the afternoon, those people are now lost to you in a lot of ways as their minds are no longer fresh, yet if you do it in the morning, most people's minds aren’t working great then. So, I think you have a sweet spot—maybe 11 AM to 2 PM is your sweet spot for creative thinking in a group setting. 

You're now taking breaks and doing more creative tasks. It's always important to alternate heavy cognitive loads with lighter loads and to remember that multitasking kills. So, obviously, if you are in a creative mode, you don't want to be doing anything else like having your email notifications go off. I don't like that at any time, so I have no email notifications, no Slack or Teams notifications turned on, and I usually have my phone on Do Not Disturb throughout the day. This is because I want to make a choice when I look at those things and that will probably be when I'm in an administrative mode or on a break. In a creative mode, I might get up and walk around the house or the backyard or the office and read or dictate some ideas I have for a project. Then later, when I'm in a more administrative “focused” mode, I can type them up and make them a legitimate proposal that looks good. If you are in focused mode, you are probably seated, doing something like writing your book, writing your article, whatever. But when you are in diffuse mode, you can be up away from your computer, away from your desk, and have free-flowing thoughts that don't get stuck by typing them. 

Knowing Your Personal Cycle 

Please listen to some of these ideas and figure out how to structure your day, knowing that multitasking doesn't work, that these cycles are normal, and try to know your rhythms so you can plan your day accordingly. Even those of us who don't have control over our days can sometimes do something that helps us get to our own rhythm. For example, I am that typical person who really wants to get as many tasks as possible done in the morning, and I don't like to be interrupted during those times, and I'm not super social in the morning. As such, that would not be a time for me to set client meetings or do brainstorming sessions. Instead, I block out that time in the morning so people don't schedule meetings with me. Instead of being in meetings (most days), I'm knocking out tasks, and that feels good to me. In the afternoon, I love meeting with people, interviewing people, talking to them, brainstorming with people about new ideas. 

So, what's your cycle? Figure that out, and I think that will help you be super productive. I hope this helps. Take care.