What time of day are we most productive?
Our brains don’t run as smoothly as our phones or laptops every hour of every day. For example, after you’ve eaten lunch, you may have noticed a dip in energy which may be why you routinely make yourself a cup of tea or coffee.
When is the optimal time to do certain tasks?
Do stressful tasks in the morning
According to an experiment done in Japan by Yujiro Yamanaka, Hidemasa Motoshima, Kenji Uchida, when workers do stressful tasks in the mornings, they release cortisol which gives the fight or flight response and helps the body respond to stress. Once the task was over, the hormones went back to normal levels. If similar tasks were presented to them later in the evenings, there would be no release of cortisol, and the task would take longer to complete. The tasks often plague the minds of some of the workers for hours after the experiment was over. The inability to switch off from work mode affects their mental health.
Takeaway-> Get the icky stuff done first.
Give in to post-lunch lethargy
After we’ve eaten, we often feel a dip in energy. Dehydration is a common cause, so make sure that you’re drinking enough throughout the day. To get over the slump, give your body what it needs. Have a cup of tea, take a nap or go for a walk. Our body temperature tends to take a dip at this time, so put on a jumper if you’re feeling chilly.
Takeaway -> Don’t expect to feel productive straight after lunch. Sometimes, it is best to take a short nap if you feel tired.
Strike when your brain is hot
Research has shown that we perform simple tasks like mental maths best when our core body (and brain) temperature increases. The slight increase in core body temperature speeds up our cognitive processes. Many people find that their bodies naturally heat up in the afternoon. Beware! This effect only works until we reach 37 degrees celsius. We don’t want to boil our brains!
Takeaway -> When your body is warmest, focus on simple tasks that require speed.
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