Working Smarter
Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.
Working Smarter
Are you looking for an edge? What do we mean by right time right place? We’ve all heard the saying “there’s just not enough time in the day to get everything done.” I’m not sure who said it, but I definitely agree. Well it turns out that by listening to our body clock we can work more effectively and efficiently. I recently read an article in the September 26th edition of the Wall Street Journal titled: “The Peak Time for Everything” and I started to think there may be a way to get our arms around getting everything done. The article suggests, based upon various studies that have been completed, there are specific times of day when our bodies operate more efficiently doing one type of task vs. another. So, it sounds like working smarter is possible.
Of course, as I compare my routine with the optimal times for doing things, as outlined in the article, I find my day is upside down. We are all creatures of habit and we all like routine, but based upon my reading if I am going to begin working smarter changes to my daily schedule are needed.
So what type of Working Smarter changes are we talking about?
The article states that due to changes in your body temperature that begin before you wake and continue through midday, your body is most attuned to doing cognitive work in the late morning. As a result our alertness, concentration and working memory are operating at peak performance during the late morning. This information is based upon work compiled by Dr. Steve Kay, a professor at the University of Southern California.
In other research, led by Robert Matchock, associate professor at Pennsylvania State University, from noon-4:00 p.m. our ability to focus and concentrate declines and people can become distracted easily. If you feel like you could use a nap every afternoon, the reason is after eating we become less alert. Hearing this news makes the Spanish Siesta a great idea. The siesta time for shops and businesses in Spain is from 2:00-5:00 p.m. This was established due to government restrictions on the number of hours per week a business could be open and operating, in conjunction with, the cultural desire for having long family lunches. In July, 2012, however, Spain eased the restrictions on the number of hours per week businesses can operate. In the larger cities, we are already seeing the disappearance of the siesta which is unfortunate since recent research suggests it coincides with a “working smarter” philosophy.
Have you ever had some of your best ideas come when you felt the most tired and not really understood why? For me it has happened and I’ve found myself scrambling for pen and paper to write down my idea before it was forgotten. Well according to a 2011 study in the journal, Thinking & Reasoning, being tired can actually boost your creative process. So if you need unique solutions to unusual problems try working smarter by letting your mind wander and work on the problems when you are tired. Remember to keep that pen and paper handy.
Let me know if you’ll be making changes to your daily schedule.