This post originally appeared on theHelp Scout blog.
Sure, there are tons of productivity hacks out therefrom to-do lists to time-management apps to mindfulness exercises.
Everything seems to work for at least a short while, until the suck of everyday demands takes over.
To start, lets think about some crucial turning points in the day.
Typically, we have a window of about three hours where were really, really focused.
Studies have shown we experience a decrease in cognitive functioning from morning to afternoon.
In other words, dont put off the tough stuff.
Its also important to be proactive rather than reactive in the first part of your day.
It prevents us from leveraging our best hours.
Think Like a Chef
How best to start your day, then?
The culinary world seems to have this strategy down, Friedman believes.
The French even have a term for it:mise en place, meaning everything in its place.
So in short, theyre strategizing first, but then theyre executing second.
Think of these as attention-span cycles.
Instead of managing your time, think of managing your energy or attention.
That dip in energy, which typically happens around 3pm, coincides with our bodies circadian rhythms.
This dip in energy might also be a good time to focus on creative tasks.
The imperative word here again isscheduling.
Dont let your day get hijacked by fatigue.
I dont have email on my iPad.
Schedule Time to Play
Play more videogames.
According to Friedman, scheduling play into your day is an important way to increase your cognitive function.
Video games get harder the longer we play them.
Every board is more difficult, Friedman says.
In work, its often the opposite trajectory.
We dont have that progressive difficulty.
Exerciseis a great option as well.
She writes about business, technology, psychology, creativity, andmore.
Image byStudiostoks(Shutterstock).
