Much like life, our motivation levels rise up and down and take many twists and turns throughout our day. Interestingly, productivity experts say there are certain hours in our day when we feel more motivated to accomplish tasks than others, and those are the times we need to identify and use to our advantage.
Find your time zone.
No, not where you live. This time zone occurs during an hour or two throughout your day (morning, noon or night) when you can focus all your energy on completing a task with effortless concentration. Try tracking your productivity for a few days in a row and you should start to see a pattern of when you get the most accomplished. Do you crave a sense of accomplishment after you’ve had your first cup of morning coffee? Maybe you start to clean a room at 6pm and two hours fly by? If you begin a task with an urge to complete it from start to finish around the same time each day, you’ve pinpointed your power hour.
One task at a time.
When motivation is running high it can be easy to want to get as much done as you can before your energy starts to wane and interruptions creep in. Resist the urge to check off every item on your to-do list and pick one big challenge to conquer such as creating a presentation. Productivity experts say the idea may seem daunting, but pushing yourself to accomplish one big task will ultimately be more rewarding. Over time your brain will start to recognize your power hour with a sense of achievement and you’ll notice an even bigger increase in productivity.
Strength train your brain.
Exercise can be an especially powerful cue to tell our brain it’s time to focus and work. Take a walk, try a few yoga poses or squats, or go to the gym if you have the time. If you’re at a desk job and can’t leave your work space write out a to-do list, line up your pens and papers, or stack some folders. Anything to create a mental shift where you can zone out and prime your brain for the power hour that lies ahead.
Set aside all distractions.
When you’re ready to get down to serious business, you don’t want to waste precious minutes eliminating distractions. If working on a business project, put your Skype on “Do Not Disturb,” your phone on silent and your email on “Out of Office” messenger. If your plan is to straighten up the house, start by cleaning one room at a time each day. Breaking this big task into small, manageable steps will keep you focused on what comes next and prevent you from becoming overwhelmed. The sense of accomplishment you’ll feel after a room gets organized is an added incentive to keep going!
Know when to recharge.
We may have our “power hours” but science has shown the brain can only concentrate for so long. After 20 to 25 minutes of intense concentration the brain needs a break to refocus. Get out of your environment for five minutes and then return to your task with a renewed sense of energy. Just don’t use your break to recharge as an excuse to get distracted and abandon your big project altogether. After a few occasions of finishing what you start, you’ll get into a rhythm where you crave the elation that comes with completion.
Remember, motivation is a state of mind. Treat your time like money in the bank. What do you spend it on? Don’t waste your time. Use it correctly. Every day that passes is like an amount of money that you drew from your account. If you are careful with your money, you should also be careful with your time. Spend it on something that helps you, adds value to your life, gets you somewhere and helps other people.