Productivity
“You are the only person I know who takes a bath at 3pm in the afternoon!” laughed my other half as he rang from work.
“It’s the part of my day when I am least productive and least creative.” I replied. “I may as well do something useful with it!”
I have always struggled with being productive between 2pm to 4pm. When I worked in an office, unless I was in a meeting, I used to find myself getting easily distracted during this time, wandering off for a coffee, having a chat or sitting at my desk re-reading the same paragraph over and over again as it just wouldn’t sink in! I think this was partly because I didn’t use to take my full lunch hour (yes, I was someone who ate at my desk). Exercising in the morning helped to some extent, as the endorphin boost seemed to enhance productivity a little longer, but, there was an undeniable hour slump.
Since working from home, and having the ability to manage my own hours, I’ve worked out when I am most productive. For me it is the early hours: magic happens between 6am and 9am! So, by the time it comes to 2pm/3pm, rather than feeling guilty about not working, I use the time in a productive way. I have a bath, walk the dogs, have lunch, whatever doesn’t require brain power. There is an amazing shift in my mindset when I step away from work rather than keep pushing on through purely because it is part of the typical working day. It makes for a much more productive late afternoon/early evening slot too.
This got me thinking.
During lockdown, have you noticed any patterns with your productivity throughout the day? And, if you work in an office (bearing in mind corporate policies), can you make any subtle changes to adapt your working pattern to fit in with your productivity pattern when you return?