Create your MOST PRODUCTIVE WORK SCHEDULE based on scientific research
If you’re like me, you want to be more productive. This isn’t another top ten list or fluff but research results based on the science of sleep, productivity & social psychology.
The average person spends 40% of their time at work being unproductive. On the other hand, we all know that one person, who is able to get way more done than everybody else, without being stressed or rushing to finish an assignment. How do they get it done?
Before we answer all of that, we must first understand the very thing that makes us who we are. Not only how we work but also how we live.
CHRONOBIOLOGY
Chronobiology is a field of biology that examines periodic (cyclic) phenomena in living organisms and their adaptation to solar- and lunar-related rhythms.
It affects how we break up our routine into the 24-hour day cycles:
Diurnal — active during the daytime
Nocturnal — active in the night
Crepuscular — active during the dawn and dusk hours
Chronotype
A chronotype is your own personal biological clock that controls your body’s rhythms — it’s the reason you are grumpier in the morning or focus better later in the day.
While your chronotype is different based on your habits and how you were brought up, recent research has shown that it changes as you age.
It found that older participants preferred mornings and so did people who are more agreeable. Understanding our chronotype helps us know the best time for coffee vs work vs exercise.
4 Different Chronotypes
According to sleep expert Dr. Michael Breus, your unique wiring shapes your most energetic times of the day. He classifies it into 4 different types:
Morning
This type wakes up early with their eyes wide awake and are typically the go-getters but tend to fizzle out in the evening and turn in early.
Afternoon
These type sleep-wake patterns often follow the sun, and they have no difficulty sleeping. They are most ready for intense tasks smack in the middle of the morning, and they feel a dip in the mid-afternoon.
Evening
This type is the nocturnally active. They have a later start to the day and tend to be makers — writers, artists, coders.
Sporadic
This type is the light sleepers as they might struggle to fall asleep. They have a tendency toward perfectionism.
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY WHILE WORKING
We know that each person has his or her own style of working with others.
Instead of classifying introverts and extroverts as how shy or outgoing you are, according to psychologist Carl Jung, it should be what gives you energy.
Introverts (or those of us with introverted tendencies) tend to recharge by spending time alone. They lose energy from being around people for long periods of time, particularly large crowds.
Extroverts, on the other hand, gain energy from other people. Extroverts actually find their energy is sapped when they spend too much time alone. They recharge by being social.
Introverts
Jonathan Cheek, a Wellesley psychologist published a paper and found out there are actually four levels of introversion: social, thinking, anxious, and restrained.
Social introverts - They prefer to be alone or to socialize with small groups instead of large ones
Thinking introverts - They’re introspective, thoughtful, and self-reflective.
Anxious introverts - seek out solitude because they tend to feel awkward or self-conscious around others.
Restrained introverts - think before they act.
Extroverts
According to a study published in Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, there’s good reason to believe there are two different types of extroverts, each with their own personality types that can be traced back to differences in their cerebral make-ups.
Agentic extroverts - are the go-getters.
Affiliative extroverts - are social butterflies.
Ambiverts
Ambiverts are right in the middle and they actually make up the majority of the population. According to Barry Smith, professor emeritus and director of the Laboratories of Human Psychophysiology at the University of Maryland, “Ambiverts make up 68% of the population.”
As a result, the people with whom you spend time with whether you’re talking to them or while working beside does impact your productivity.
WORKPLACE DESIGN
Workspace design is about creating a space that facilitates productive and purposeful work while leaving room for creativity, customization, and personalization. For some it’s an office, for others it’s their home desk or dining table and can impact the productivity of 46% of people.
Few Factors that impact workspace productivity:
Noise
Noise is a serious detrimental factor to productivity and morale. This will not only impact your productivity but also what kind of work you can do at what times, such as conference calls or sales webinars. This will also impact your work hours.
Lighting
Lighting is one of the strongest factors in creating an optimal office design. Lighting affects many aspects of work life, from productivity to mental health to workplace safety.
Personalization
People are more productive when they can bring their full selves to the office. That goes for office decoration, clothing, and even desk trinkets.
Location
People are now able to work out of the office more easily with their laptops or even on their phones. As a result, the location of where you work, whether it's at home or in the office matters including the factors listed above.
To see more factors, see the full article at CoWop.
If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer it.
SUMMARY/TL;DR
By combining all the 3 elements from your chronotype, your social habits and your workspace, you’re all to create your most productive work schedule. Keep in mind that as you age your best work schedule changes as does your chronobiology. It’s best to check in on your work output for your most productive work schedule.
Research and more info here -> https://www.cowop.org/post/the-secret-to-the-most-productive-work-schedule
If you enjoyed this post and want to know your productivity potential, I’ve created an audit to help you instantly create your most productive work schedule and be more productive within 2 mins. You can access it for free at https://www.cowop.org/quiz/most-productive-work-scheduler
