Let your body set the schedule
We're no productivity gurus here, but since Oku is a side project and everybody involved has a day job, we know how important it is to make the most of our time. That's why I wanted to share something I learnt about recently that just might help you produce your best work more consistently.
You probably know about your body's circadian rhythm, a kind of internal clock usually regulated by Earth's day/night cycle. You likely have some understanding of whether you're naturally more of a morning person, a night owl, or neither. Your body clock has a more complex effect on your energy than that though, but thankfully these days we can benefit from from what we know about sleep science just by visiting our local app store.
I'm talking about Rise Sleep. Rise uses your sleep debt and timing to estimate your circadian rhythm and therefore your natural energy levels throughout the day. Let me illustrate by turning my energy schedule on its side, from wake up to night time:
An important thing to notice is that my energy levels are not just up in the day and down at night. Instead each day has a morning peak and an afternoon peak, with a dip in between. My rhythm is not your rhythm, but this pattern of daily peaks holds true for most people, shifted earlier for morning people or later for night owls like me.
It turns out that during the peaks people are more attentive, find it easier to focus, are more energetic and make better decisions.Therefore we all stand to benefit greatly if we can align our activities with our energy schedule.
So what does this mean in practice? Peaks are when you are at your best. This is when you want to deliver that important presentation or knock out an essay you need to write. If your work benefits from a state of flow, this is when you're most likely to achieve it. If you're a proponent of Deep Work, this when you need to be scheduling it.
Similarly, it also means less important or "shallow" tasks that may not require your full attention, such as email, can be relegated to your dips so that your peaks are protected. Rise suggests that dips are also a perfect time to take a break or go for a walk, which I'd have to agree with, but it has been observed that creative work can flourish during these off-peak times as well.
I know it's not practical for most of us to structure our lives around our energy schedule, especially those of us with the biggest constraints on our time. However many of us do have some level of control at least some of the time, and hopefully this knowledge makes it a bit easier to work with our bodies instead of against them.
Give it a try!