We all have bad days – but that doesn’t mean we can’t be successful. Here are two ways to boost productivity, even when we just aren’t feeling it.
Give Yourself 10 for Every 90
Research says that your brain cycles frequently from higher alertness to lower alertness. Specifically, every 90 minutes, your brain goes from one to the other. Your alertness level, without your consent, suddenly changes. It's at this point when it becomes hard to focus and think clearly. Sometimes you even lose your perspective on things, and it's difficult to see beyond what's right in front of your face. A lot of the time, it comes along with a certain feeling. You're easily distracted, you get sleepy, or you start to feel hungry. Herbert Benson, professor at Harvard, says that at that point, you lose most of your ability to work productively, and you start feeling stressed instead. Stress will lead to feeling burnt out, and you want to avoid that at all costs. Instead of risking feeling that way, just disengage from your work and take a bathroom or water break. Pet your cat, meditate, do something that relaxes you. Maybe you can even practice your piano or look at old photo albums. Allow your brain to wind down and start daydreaming - which engages a completely different part of your brain - and it will help your brain reset the alertness that you need to focus.
Circadian Rhythms: The Key to Your Successful Work
By the time we're twenty or so, we know if we like the mornings or if we like the night, and which time of the day we feel most active and awake. Do you start to get tired in the afternoon, or are you the most awake then instead? Use that knowledge to your advantage. Schedule your meetings during the times you know you'll be most awake. If you're a morning person, schedule that meeting that involves convincing everyone that your idea is the next big thing in the morning. Don't waste it on a doctor's appointment you have to go to, figure out a way to push that back to the afternoon.
