I’m an avid reader and love science, so when Daniel Pink’s new book titled When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing was released at the turn of the year I got my copy right away and breezed through it. I’ve now had several months to integrate some of the tips and tricks the book recommends into my routine and pass along some of the wisdom. In this post, I’ll share a few timing tips that stand out as highly relevant for many of my patients.
To alleviate workplace stress, don’t let anything interfere with your peak.
The first step to maximizing your productivity is to determine your chronotype by finding the midpoint of your typical night of sleep on a day where you don’t have to wake up to an alarm. If your midpoint is earlier than 3:30am you are a lark; if it is after 5:30am you are an owl. If it is between 3:30 and 5:30, you are what Daniel calls a third bird. For larks and third birds, studies show that cognitive abilities peak a few hours after waking followed by a trough about 7 hours after waking, then a period of recovery. Owls tend to have a recovery, trough then peak cycle so that their peak is in the early evening. Analytic work that requires focus (or important meetings) should be done in the peak. Administrative work that is mundane such as returning emails should be done in the trough. The recovery period is characterized by a good mood and less vigilance, so this is a good time to do creative work such as brainstorming.
If, say, you are not a freelancer with complete control over your schedule, taking breaks are integral to work performance. If a critical meeting cannot be scheduled in the morning when 80% of people will be in their peak, it could be scheduled after a break. It is worth mentioning that the key to ensuring that a given break is cognitively rejuvenating is that one should not multi-task (read: check your phone) during this time. Informal social interactions in person are encouraged within this time though so feel free to grab a coffee with a coworker. See one of my previous posts about ergonomics covering what types of breaks you can schedule into your work day to not only improve cognitive performance but also prevent physical complaints such as neck and back pain.
To efficiently meet your wellness goals, harness the power of new beginnings.
Naturally, people are more likely to be motivated to start a new habit on a temporal landmark. This could be something that is specific to you such as a birthday or anniversary, or you can harness this same power every Monday of the week. The beauty of the Monday hack is also that say you start out the year with an ambitious resolution that you end up slipping on after a while, use Mondays to reinvigorate your resolution and get back on track.
If you would like to hear Daniel speak about his findings, his interview with Behind the Brand’s Bryan Elliott is illuminating:
