There are two primary reasons why you are reading this article:
- To find tips on how to manage your time well and become more productive
- To know when is the best time of the day to work and get more things done
We’ll tackle both shortly but as early as now, we all have to agree that for the methods to work, you have to exercise commitment and personal discipline daily. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be getting the full, long-term benefits that your new regular timetable offers.
So when is the best time to work?
Many would say that it depends, and frankly, there are people who have exhibited awe-inspiring ability to stay awake the whole night and get few hours of sleep in the morning before their working cycle once again starts. Majority, however, find themselves more productive during the day than at night.
In a statement at Wall Street Journal, Dr. Steve Kay, a professor of molecular and computational biology at the University of Southern California, pointed out that most adults perform best on late mornings. This, he says, can be attributed to the rise of body temperature from the time you wake up until midday. This increase helps gradually increase concentration and alertness.
Ideally, the best times for working would be 2 hours after you wake up. Therefore, if you’re used to waking up at around 6 am, then getting started with work from 8 am and so on, will most likely yield better results.
However …
These optimal hours will only be beneficial if you cooperate and make sure you don’t fall to a lot of distractions while working.
Here are ways to make sure you get the best out of those precious 2 hours:
Eat breakfast.
There are a lot of clichéd excuses to skip breakfast. Some are in a hurry. Others are not yet hungry. Then there are those who seemed too busy right after getting off the bed that they just grab a quick cup of coffee on the way to work and consider it their proper morning meal.
Guess what, you’re doing it all wrong. No matter how early you wake up and work at the most productive time of the day, you still wouldn’t do well if you don’t have enough nutritional sustenance enough to do all the physical and mental labor.
Plan your tomorrow’s tasks tonight.
It will save you considerable amount of time if you have a blueprint on the things you will do for the day. One effective method is to create a to-do list in advance, preferably the night before. This gives you more time to think of the urgent tasks at hand and those pending ones that need attention.
Set aside social media.
Let’s face it. It’s so much tempting to open Facebook or Twitter the first time you turn on your computer for work. You feel like you’re missing out an important update from a friend or a page you follow if you do not open it now.
However, opening a social media account for just ‘a minute’ most of the time ends up into ‘several minutes’ or worse, ‘an entire hour.’ Social media is useful, but it’s also a distraction. Save yourself some time and check it out later.
Tackle the urgent and most difficult tasks first.
One good way to do this is to use Stephen Covey’s prioritization matrix which is divided into four windows; Important, Not Important, Urgent and Not Urgent.
By categorizing different tasks under these labels, you get to identify which of all the assignments must be taken care of first. If you tend to shun away from challenging tasks, using this matrix may just be your way out of constantly setting them aside.
Refrain from spending too much time on emails.
Electronic messaging has done a lot of help in making regular business correspondence faster. However, it has unquestionably become a distraction as well especially to anyone who has more than two accounts.
Aside from business and personal messages, emails could also plague you with ads, promotions and even notifications from its affiliated social media account. If you have subscribed to some website newsletters, the bulk of data you receive in a day is even higher.
Of course, you have the option to unsubscribe anytime and turn off all SM notifications. However, if you want to save time and get real work done, its best to check emails for just about 10 to 15 minutes. Other than the most important ones that demand your immediate response, it’s best to set aside the rest once you are done with your day’s tasks.
Use task management apps or timers to stay close to your schedule.
It’s easy to get sidetracked from your original schedule once you start working. This can be an issue especially if you are trying to minimize the duration you spend in one project.
Task management tools both for mobile and desktop helps you address this issue. Even the built-in alarm function of your mobile device will do.
Learn to set a realistic and attainable timeline for your entire task and strive to stick on it. Doing this over time will help you turn it into a habit.
Focus and avoid all distractions.
What distracts you from putting your hundred percent focus and effort on the current task? Is it your email? Your social media accounts? How about your colleagues at work?
Distractions are everywhere, and one key to becoming more productive is to identify what or who they are, when they usually pester you and how you can stay away from them. This needs discipline and more often than not, the first few days are always the hardest.
However, if you are intent on maximizing your brain’s optimum function two hours after you wake up, then you must be willing to change some habits that are affecting your productivity.
Any work whether it’s physical or mental-based requires the brain to be at its best. Android developer Philippines for instance who always need to generate creativity must be on their optimum capacities when creating an app. Be more aware of your biological timeline and assess your productivity level all throughout the day.
Are you using your time wisely? If not, start practicing the methods we have on this list.
