Productivity - Early Bird or Night Owl?
Productivity and organized business go hand in hand. So who better to guest post for us than Jennifer Hofmann the queen of organization at My Organized Biz. Her slogan is “Kicking Chaos To The Curb.”
Take it away Jennifer!
Guest Post
By Jennifer Hofmann
Ask anyone if they’re an early bird and a spirited conversation is likely to erupt. People naturally have a sense of when they’re most energized and it’s fun to compare notes. Everyone knows their way is the best way.
Whichever bird you are, you can use these natural energy times to your advantage and impact your productivity at work.
If you’re an night owl, have you noticed that there’s actually a particular time of the evening when you’re especially juiced? Same for early birds. One of my clients is loathe to get up before 7am, but isn’t really functioning until about 9am. Because of this, she plans her day in the early morning when her energy is lower and reserves mid-morning and afternoon times to work with clients.
Ultimately, the goal is to merge the times when you’re at your best with your high-output activities - so they happen at the same time. This is a great way to produce outstanding work with less effort.
How can you do this?
1. Start paying attention to your high-energy cycles - You can make a mental note or actually write it down. If you pay attention for a week or two and you’ll start to see patterns.
2. Plan accordingly - If you know you’re dead tired from 3-4pm (most of us are, actually, due to circadian rhythms), it’s probably not the best time to have an important meeting. If you’re brain is singing at 11pm, it can be good to set aside that time for generating ideas for your next project instead of forcing it out at the crack of dawn.
3. Think long-term - When you start to pay attention to your daily cycles, you may also notice that you have the same energy ebb and flow over the course of a week or a month. During the ebb times, you can plan vacations or retreats to replenish yourself. The flow times can be used to generating new products and other time-intensive endeavors.
In the end, the goal of productivity is not to be 100% “on” all the time. You’re not a machine - and even they need to go off line for repairs and maintenance. Instead, strive to work during the times when you’re most naturally productive - and restore yourself when you’re less energetic. Honoring your own cycles helps you to be perpetually productive and prevent overwhelm and exhaustion.
About Jennifer Hofmann:
In my business and on my blog (www.myorganizedbiz.com), I encourage small business owners to find their own unique organizing style - so you don’t waste time trying to adopt someone else’s.
Visit my website to learn more and get a fun 8-page workbook, Putting the FUN in Functional: 3 steps to an office you’ll love! (www.inspiredhomeoffice.com)
Are YOU an early bird or night owl? Do you know when you work best? Chime in with your thoughts!
© Productivity image courtesy of Yvonne Russell at Grow Your Writing Business.com
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POSTED IN: Guest Posts, Organization, Productivity, b5 Business Channel
5 opinions for Productivity - Early Bird or Night Owl?
Martin Neumann
Apr 20, 2008 at 6:36 am
Great post, Jennifer.
I’m a night owl - even though every productivity blogger I read says get up early.
I tried it but it wasn’t for me.
I do pretty good between say 9am and 11am - especially with a timed (and strict) 45min work/15min break routine.
Between 2pm and 4pm I crash and burn.
My time is always 10pm - 1pm, where I get the most done. That’s usually because it’s sooo quite - wife and kids asleep.
Yvonne Russell
Apr 21, 2008 at 6:35 am
Hi Martin
I noticed Tim Ferriss of the 4 Hour Work Week says the same thing about working at the time most productive for you, no matter when that may be.
I’m a night owl too.
Thanks for stopping by.
Jeanne Dininni
Apr 23, 2008 at 11:46 am
Jennifer,
Great tips on using our circadian rhythms to increase our productivity!
Like Martin and Yvonne, I tend to be a night owl, too; but I’m trying to break that habit and begin getting up earlier. It’s tough, though, because I tend to get up early and then stay up late anyway. :) (Circadian rhythms in action, I guess!)
Thanks for a helpful post!
Jeanne
Yvonne Russell
Apr 25, 2008 at 8:15 am
Thanks for joining in the conversation Jeanne. Sounds like the night owls are in the majority in this thread at least.
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May 7, 2008 at 8:41 am
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