{"id":49074,"date":"2017-04-24T19:39:15","date_gmt":"2017-04-25T03:39:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=49074"},"modified":"2018-05-06T16:39:53","modified_gmt":"2018-05-07T00:39:53","slug":"how-to-use-your-energy-levels-to-be-more-productive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/how-to-use-your-energy-levels-to-be-more-productive\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Use Your Energy Levels To Be More Productive"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

<\/p>\n

You already know what needs to happen. You say it all the time: “I need to be more productive with my time.”<\/p>\n

But often \u2013 too often – it feels just about impossible. Certain times of day you\u2019re a steam train mowing down anything which gets in-between your work and you. Other hours, maybe when you\u2019d rather be sleeping, the brainstorming commences \u2013 and doesn\u2019t end. Then there are the dead hours – those hours where no matter how hard you try, you know you’ll find myself wasting as much time as possible, in whatever way makes itself available.<\/p>\n

When what you\u2019ve got is competing demands \u2013 whether that\u2019s in your schedule or in your interests \u2013 feeling those ebbs and flows of energy can derail your productivity and your creative process. So what do you do about it?<\/p>\n

1) Shift your mindset<\/h1>\n

Different hour = different possibilities. When you\u2019re out of energy, you\u2019re out of energy. And that can make itself known in distraction or procrastination. It\u2019s not that you are wasting time, or aren\u2019t committed to what you\u2019re doing \u2013 it\u2019s that you can\u2019t really do any better given your energy levels. When you\u2019re focused and able to get a lot done \u2013 don\u2019t ignore that impulse to keep going, but pay attention to it, and take note. If it\u2019s a trend, it might be valuable to schedule any executive tasks for that time of day. And when your brain goes into brainstorm mode, don\u2019t let that phase you. That is your creativity working for you. Grab a notebook or journal and let it \u2013 channel the energy towards any creative work you could be doing, instead of wasting it chastising yourself for not spending more time executing.<\/p>\n

2) Understand Your Productivities<\/h1>\n

There\u2019s an endless debate surrounding whether \u201cearly birds\u201d or \u201cnight owls\u201d are more productive. Odds are, you likely aren\u2019t just one kind of productive (or one kind of bird, for that matter). Sometimes you brainstorm, plan, draft. Other times you edit, assemble, execute. Distinguish between these types of productivity \u2013 creative productivity through writing, brainstorming, planning, etc., and executive productivity through copying, revising, editing, etc. Where your energy lends itself to spending can differ by the time of day.
\nOnce you understand that, know how you work \u2013 whether it\u2019s in periodic bursts or over long, dedicated slogs, or somewhere in-between. Take the time to notice whether it works differently when you are writing creatively to when you are writing a report, or between planning and execution. And once you are clear on the different ways you can be productive, start to take notice of the times they coincide with.<\/p>\n

3) Learn Your Hours<\/h1>\n

Test yourself. Over the span of about a week, chart out when you are the most creative, and when the muses won\u2019t sing. Record when you get the most actual execution \u2013 the hands-on, make-the-creative-vision-happen work \u2013 accomplished. Finally, and most importantly, note down when you are the most likely to distract yourself or feel a slump in energy. Record the time of day, and whether it differs depending on other factors, like your diet or the day of the week or your sleep pattern. Understand the trend in your waking hours, and what you are and aren\u2019t able to put out in the meantime.
\nJust understanding those hours \u2013 and working with them, rather than against them \u2013 can stave off a whole lot of frustration, procrastination and writer\u2019s block.<\/p>\n

4) Organize Your Time Around Those Hours<\/h1>\n

Rather than exhausting yourself by trying to push through those lapses in energy or focus, organize your schedule with those hours in mind. This might look like:
\n1. Creative work in the early morning\/late night (6am – 10am; 8pm onwards)
\n2. Productive Work in the late morning through early afternoon (10am – 2pm)
\n3. “Useless” Netflix\/Facebook\/Catch up with an old friend hours (3pm – about 8pm)<\/p>\n

The key is to guide yourself. To learn the unique ways in which your energy flows and lapses throughout the day, then taking note of the time of day those changes correspond to. Figuring it out – exactly how this looks for you – can make you that much more productive.<\/p>\n

So if you’ve got a chapter to finish, a topic to revise, a blog post to write, or a whole lot of procrastinating to do – try testing yourself, and finding out when your creative juices are flowing, and when they aren’t. When it’s easy to focus, and when it isn’t. Try organizing your time around your energy \u2013 not the other way around \u2013 and see how it works for you.<\/p>\n

\n

Pedro is a person who sometimes writes things.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You already know what needs to happen. You say it all the time: “I need to be more productive with my time.” But often \u2013 too often – it feels just about impossible. 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