From the course: Time Management Tips

Find your productivity rhythm

From the course: Time Management Tips

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Find your productivity rhythm

- Many people feel that in order to be productive, they need to be constantly in motion. They feel that they don't want to waste a single minute in their day. The reality, though, is that productivity is more about rhythm than perpetual motion. You can see this in professional athletes or musicians. They learn how to harness the power of rhythm to help them be more successful. You are a professional as well, and you can find your own unique productivity rhythm. Here are a few areas for you to consider as you craft your own rhythm. First is your personal rhythm, meaning you as a person. We've heard the concept of people who are night people versus day people, but what about afternoon people or middle-of-the-morning people? You want to think about the time of day where you are most productive, when you have the most energy, and, of course, start to schedule activities that are high value during that time. These are the best times to focus on your most valuable activities. Second, consider your work rhythm. Every type of business or organization has its own flow and rhythm. There are times of the day or week when customers are most likely to ask questions, or when co-workers are most likely to ask you questions and want to collaborate. Take a look at the pattern of the days of the week and the times of the day when it comes to your work. Third, consider the frequency of interruptions that are taking place in your day. If at certain periods of the day you're going to have more interruptions, that means that you're going to have less focus. These periods of the day are best used on low-value activies, or activities that don't require a lot of attention. You can switch away from them and then switch back and it's not going to impact your productivity too much. And then fourth, consider the type of interruptions that you're experiencing. You want to, as much as possible, switch from one like activity to another like activity. For instance, if I'm focusing on email and answering an email, switching to a new email isn't going to have that big of an impact. But if I'm doing something complex like programming, and then someone interrupts me with a quick question, the cost of that interruption will be tremendous. Try to group similar activities together as you're creating your own productivity rhythm. Now that you have a basic understanding of the principles of finding your productivity rhythm, I invite you to watch this video one more time, and as you go through it, make notes about what you think would work best for you. As you find your own productivity rhythm, you'll find that you're more productive and more focused.

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