Published on | Prototyping: From UX to Front End — Medium Tanja Šovanj Photo by Руслан Гамзалиев

The vast quantity of productivity tips in books and online can be very confusing. This usually happens when we get caught in a never ending quest for a single method that would fit us perfectly over a long period of time. In this quest we are searching for new productivity tips, while never really applying any of them. Or we start applying more than we can handle, making us work more on our productivity methods than doing the work itself.

Sometimes it may seem like we’ve found The One true productivity method that works. But that lasts only for a short period of time.
After we get tired or irritated by a routine that no longer suits us, we find ourselves back in a search for more productivity advice. And the pattern emerges.

How to break the pattern?

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While practicing aikido I’ve learned that when encountering a problem, I must reprogram myself and start from the beginning. This means ground zero. By doing that I become able to see the situation more clearly. And from there take it step by step in fixing the problem. This method can be applied whenever we stumble upon an obstacle, so let’s see how we could use it to get us out of our productivity rabbit hole.

The ground zero in our case is as simple and as complicated as knowing yourself. Primarily knowing your biorhythm and being aware of all things that affect your productivity, both in a good or in a bad way.

Chronotype: Your body clock and Internal time

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A personal chronotype is one of the most important factors in managing our productivity better. Knowing just a little bit about your own can be really beneficial when choosing the right productivity method and planning your workday.

So, what’s a chronotype? It is our internal time that is produced by our own body clock. It varies from individual to individual and dominates all functions in our body, including cognitive functions. The rhythm of our daily sleeping habits, including the duration of our sleep and the time we go to bed, are also an essential part of our unique chronotype.

This internal time also dictates the rhythm of change between our productivity peaks and low points. Having all this in mind, different people can have very different chronotypes, and very different daily habits that affect their productivity.

In his great book “Internal time”, Till Roenneberg says:

“We are capable of different things at different times of the day. Many aspects of performance show daily fluctuations, and their heights and lows depend on chronotype. Not only performance but many aspects of our life vary according to the time of the day.”

Thanks to these researchers, we now know that productivity fluctuations are completely normal and expected. Keep this in mind the next time you experience some of the usual productivity problems like procrastination. Instead of feeling guilty, use that time to complete some of the easiest tasks on your to-do list. Find out what is the time of the day when you’re the most productive and start making plans according to your chronotype.

The greatest interrupter

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Things that we all need to manage like correspondence with colleagues and clients could become our greatest interrupter if we deal with them in the wrong time of the workday. Instead of starting our day by responding to email, we can choose to work on more demanding tasks first, while we’re still getting warmed up for our productivity peak.

Schedule easier tasks during those hours when you usually reach your lowest productivity point. Keep in mind that your workflow could be endangered if you miss your productivity peak or waste it on some easy tasks or breaks. And the time of your productivity peaks is in direct correlation with your chronotype.

So, what’s the secret?

Knowing and understanding our daily habits and chronotype are probably the most important factors to consider when searching for the right productivity method. Dig deep and ask yourself as many questions as you need in order to find out more about your own productivity rhythm:

When do you usually go to bed and when do you wake up in the morning?
Are you the most productive right after waking up, or your productivity peaks usually happen later in the day?
What are the good and bad working habits that you repeat from day to day? And what can you change in your daily routine?
When and why do you procrastinate? What do you usually do when procrastinating?
Do you follow the same routine every day or do you feel an urge to change that routine often?

Answers to these questions will make a big difference when choosing a productivity method that would best match for your personal daily rhythm.

Choose to do your most demanding tasks in time of the day when you usually hit your productivity peaks, and keep the not so demanding tasks for the low points. Be gentle with yourself when you notice that you’re procrastinating and losing focus. You’re just experiencing a normal daily productivity fluctuation. Instead of feeling guilty, be proactive and just switch your attention to easier tasks that don’t require a lot of concentration and full cognitive capacity. Keep going slowly or take a break and soon you’ll be at another productivity peak.

Remember that patience is sometimes the key ingredient that you need to include in your workflow. When you choose a productivity method, stick to it as long as you need to form a real habit and then enjoy the fruits of your labour! Good luck and let me know how’s your quest going.

The secret of choosing the productivity method that really works was originally published in prototypr on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The secret of choosing the productivity method that really works

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