Think As Inc

RESPECT YOUR PEAK

October 22, 2009 on 7:01 pm | In life coaching | No Comments

There are night owls and morning people, people who flit from task to task and people who spend hours on one thing at a time.  When are you best able to concentrate?  How do you do your best work?  Get to know when you are at your peak, and plan around it.

Look at the natural blocks of time that occur in your schedule.  If you work at home and have school-age children, this may mean that your time blocks are 1 hour before school, 5 hours during school, 3 hours after school and 2 hours after the kids go to bed.  When do you have the most energy?  If morning, maybe you can get 2 hours before school by waking up earlier and schedule less time after the kids’ bedtime by sleeping earlier.  What tasks can be done at what time?  It doesn’t make sense to plan errands for after bedtime when businesses are likely closed.  It doesn’t make sense to do noisy tasks (e.g., vacuuming) for the morning time block.  It may make sense to reserve the long 5-hour block for projects where you need hours of focus.

Reflect on the projects that get done with ease and on time.  Do you work for long stretches at a time on the same thing?  Do you do a little each day till you’re done?  The only right approach is the one that results in your best work.  Once you identify how you best work, plan your schedule accordingly.  Block out whole days if you need a marathon session or just hours per day for weeks if you need variety.  Block out your calendar months in advance for future, as yet undefined projects.  You can always modify when the details are clear, but at least you have your best hours reserved.

If you want to work at peak performance, you cannot be reactive.  Know your peak and plan accordingly.