TAKING ADVANTAGE OF YOUR MOST PRODUCTIVE TIMES

DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU ARE MOST PRODUCTIVE?

Are you a morning person who cannot fathom doing pretty much anything done after dinner?  Or are you a night person, who would rather die than get up early to get anything of any significance done?  I am a morning person.  I have often even said, I wish I could brush my teeth at night in the morning!  Because I really have such little energy for anything at night.  When I see night people staying up late and getting so many things done at that time, I wonder how they can do it.

We are all different, so in order to make the most of our days, we need to know how and when we function best.  This can really help us with planning out our days to get the most done when we have the most energy. Most of us know if we generally have more energy in the day or at night.  But, there are also other things to consider to know how to take advantage of your highest energy during the day.

BE CAREFUL TO NOT USE YOUR MOST PRODUCTIVE TIME ON LOW VALUE THINGS

I heard a tip one time that it is so important to not start clearing the deck when you are feeling high energy and are ready to really get some things done. It can be tempting to get a bunch of small things off of our to-do list.  But, if they are low-value tasks we are using up our most valuable time to get things done that are not of any significant importance. You don’t want to use your highest energy time to do things like clean up emails. Save those types of tasks for when your energy is lowest.

I have found it helpful to create a to-do list for the day with 2 to 3 most important things. Those are the items that I want to get done and try to focus on first. Looking at a long to-do list can feel overwhelming. You can waste time by reassessing each time you are ready to start something new which task should be next. Decide once by looking at your list and picking a couple of things you would really like to get done. Once those are done, if you have more time you can review your to-do list again. At that time, you might want to tackle some of the lower energy tasks, like maybe making that appointment that’s been on your list!

GET YOUR MOST IMPORTANT AND DAUNTING TASK DONE FIRST

I’m sure some of you have heard the phrase “eat the frog”. The frog is the item you have on your list that you do not want to deal with.  But it’s also usually something that is of high importance. It’s the item that you keep pushing to the next day. Eating the frog is getting that task off of your list that you have been dreading. I know for me, this is often something that I am not quite sure how to handle.  So, instead of just trying to figure it out, it just continues to sit there.

When these tasks are not getting done, they can also impact your ability to work productively on your other tasks because they are always in the back of your mind distracting you. So, try to practice eating the frog!  When you are about to start getting some work done, do that one thing first! How many times have you done that one thing that you have been procrastinating to find out it was much easier than you thought it would be?

DON’T FEEL MOTIVATED?

Understanding that motivation often comes after you have started working, not before, can really help get you moving. How many times have you decided to start getting a little bit done on a project that you have wanted to work on and suddenly found yourself taking it way farther than you planned on? This can get us in trouble with projects in our house! Like when you want to reorganize the coats and end up dumping the entire contents of the closet on your floor to sort through!

We often complain that we can’t find the motivation to get started on things so we hold off on doing them. Yes, sometimes we can just naturally feel motivated and want to get working on things. But often it takes starting on something to get that motivation feeling flowing. So, getting started even by committing only to getting a little bit done can often lead to being very productive!

DO YOU NEED TO TAKE A BREAK TO RE-ENERGIZE YOURSELF?

When we are really busy, it can be so tempting to push ourselves to keep going. We might think that there is just so much to get done, we don’t have time to take a break. But, sometimes when we keep doing high-energy work for extended periods of time, it can really drain us.  And while we might still be doing the work, we likely are working at a less efficient pace. Taking a break can reenergize you and actually help you perform better at whatever you are trying to do. Your break does not have to be very long.  Even getting up and getting away for 10 minutes can really help reset your energy.

I know especially when I am working from home, it can be tempting to keep working through lunch. But, I have been trying to make it a point to stop working and do something else during my lunch break. I have also tried to take a couple of short breaks at other times during the day. It really does help keep you going when you give yourself little breaks. Especially if you are doing work that is draining!

Thanks so much for checking in! If you would like to hear the podcast version of this topic to check out Lola’s Frugal Life Podcast! Also, be sure to check out my other blog posts on this site!

I would love to have you join my mailing list! Sign up here:

Email address:

Leave this field empty if you’re human: