How you look at your productive time can help you perform better at work. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking every minute has the same value.
It’s important to remember people are not machines. With a machine, you know the expected output.
People experience performance highs and lows during an average day. Understanding this concept can allow you to boost your performance. The great news is that some strategic adjustments can help you maximize your potential.
Use these tips to help you perform better at work:
When Do You Perform at Your Best?
Consider everything you have to do on an average day. Some things are more important than others. They likely require a higher level of concentration.
Once you’ve identified them, think about when you’re at your best in terms of your focus. Maybe it’s from 10 a.m. to noon. And you might have a few periods when you perform really well. You’re dynamite during these timeframes.
Try to schedule important work during these moments. This is not the time to fill out your monthly mileage report. That’s important but it doesn’t need your “A” Game.
Save activities, that don’t need a lot of focus, for those times when you’re not as sharp. For instance, at the end of the day some people will clean up their desk. It’s a good thing to do that doesn’t need your full attention.
Meetings and other activities may disrupt this tactic but just try to get back on your schedule when you can.
Recognize Hot Streaks
Like a basketball player, you may find yourself enjoying a hot streak. For the athlete, it’s when you can’t miss a shot and are playing at your highest level.
When you’re in this state of mind, you’ll be able to get a lot of work done. Things will seem easy. And you may find yourself accomplishing a lot, very quickly.
But you need to understand that even the hottest, hot hand will eventually cool down.This can be frustrating but you shouldn’t beat yourself up for coming down from 100% output.
Enjoy your hot streaks, make the most of them with your projects, but know they don’t last.
Reward High Performance Moments
Let’s say a report typically takes you an hour to complete. One day, you’re feeling sharp, you finish in 45 minutes, and the work is good. You now have 15 minutes you didn’t expect to have. What do you do with them?
Some rush to their next project but that might not be your best move. It might be smarter to reward yourself for your efficiency and invest the free time into something else.
Maybe there’s a project you always want to research but you never have the time. Guess what? You’ve now got 15 minutes.
You could also use the time to recharge and stretch your legs around the office. Giving yourself a break is not a bad thing.
Invest the time, you saved, in yourself. Some make the mistake of banking those extra minutes and assume they’ll use them later. But then things get busy and they never have time to use them. Take the time, in the moment, to reward yourself for performing well.
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