TIME CONSUMPTION & PRODUCTIVITY

The Most and Least Productive Hours in a Day

 PRODUCTIVITY

The Most and Least Productive

Hours in a Day
BARBARA ATKINSON • O CTOBER 20, 2017

In a perfect world (or, at least a more efficient one), you could be productive whenever you
wanted. Just sit down and start typing/put that pen to paper/invent the next app or Fidget Spinner.
Unfortunately, productivity isn’t as easy as just plugging in for humans—we experience energy
and creativity peaks and valleys. Those valleys are necessary—they’re your brain and body
telling you that you need a break.

While you can’t (and shouldn’t) eliminate the normal, less productive times in your day, there is
a way to recognize when you’re most likely to be at your performance best, and optimize it.
While your productivity goals will always benefit from smart time management strategies,
they’ll also get a boost when you know what part of the day is optimal for you to work at your
most challenging and creative tasks.

It’s Ultra(dian) Easy

Humans run on a 24-hour internal “clock,” which is why we all typically go to sleep, wake up,
and experience alertness peaks and valleys around the same time every day. The times may be
different for everyone, but the cycle is universal. We refer to that 24-hour cycle as a “circadian
day;” within that 24-hour circadian day, we cycle through periods of 90-minute blocks
of productivity and heightened focus. Those blocks of premiere productivity time are known as
“ultradian cycles,” and the manner in which we cycle in and out of them is called our “ultradian
rhythm.” The start of each ultradian cycle is where your brain is most energetic and focused.
Eventually, your energy slowly depletes. At the end of each ultradian cycle, you can keep
working, but you simply won’t be as effective. Your brain needs downtime.
So, since pushing through that downtime means you’re working with less than optimal focus and
energy productivity researchers are suggesting a new approach. When you find your peak
 productivity times—your personal ultradian rhythm—that’s when it’s prime time to tackle
projects involving creative strategizing, problem-solving, and critical decisions. Hit the hard,
challenging, out-of-the-box stuff during these peak phases. You can save more routine tasks, less
complex problem-solving, and other less brain- and creativity-intensive work for your naturally-
occurring ultradian valleys. Think of them as your focus refractory periods.
To be more productive, then, you need to know when your ultradian cycles are. Finding out is
easier than you think.

Gather Data on You

While it’s easiest just to announce that you’re a night owl and you should, therefore, work later
in the day, or that you enjoy your morning hours, consider applying a more systematic approach..
At the same times each day, at roughly hourly intervals, record your levels of focus, enthusiasm,
and energy. To account for changes to your daily routine, be sure to add a note about anything
which may be affecting your scores for that day.

After just a few days of data gathering, you’ll start to see a pattern developing of when your
focus, energy, and enthusiasm appear highest and lowest. Stick with logging in your data, and
after a week or two, you’ll have some consistent indicators of what times of day or night your
ultradian cycles will be available to help you boost your productivity.

Work Your Data

Now that you know when it’s likely you’ll have the most energy and focus, it’s up to you to
optimize those periods of time for spans of uninterrupted time to work or create. An example of
a productive ultradian cycle workday might go something like this:
 8:00 am: Your data shows you tend to hit an ultradian cycle as soon as you start your workday. Get
settled at your computer, focus on your project for a 90-minute burst.
 9:30 am: Break time! Get up and walk to the coffee maker, take a lap around your building, or take the
dog out for 20 minutes.
 10:00 am: Refreshed, head back to your desk and begin your second productivity work burst.
 11:30 am: When you’ve hit your limit, it’s time to turn your attention to a variety of less focused work
for several hours, like touch-base meetings with colleagues, returning emails, and other daily tasks.
 3:00 pm: Finish up the afternoon (or evening or middle of the night, depending on how you work best),
with one last 60-minute productivity cycle.

Peak Productivity Preparation

Don’t waste your by being underprepared. You want to spend your ultradian cycle time solving
difficult problems, pursuing elusive answers, and digging deep for your most creative solutions.
Do some prep work ahead of time so that when you turn your attention to your project, you don’t
have to stop in the middle of a great work sprint to recharge your laptop, or step away after from
drafting your work proposal after only 20 minutes to turn off the stove. Now is your time to be
focused, alert and in full concentration mode. As much as you can, clear your environment of
outside interruptions and unnecessary distractions.

Interruptions Happen

Although we’re suggesting blocks of 90-to-120-minutes of productive time to correspond with

your ultradian cycle, the truth is, you might only get an uninterrupted few minutes. Finding out
when you work best at peak productivity is only half the battle. Outside influences like
coworkers, bosses, phone calls, and kids, can intrude with startling frequency. You’re not always
going to get as much done as you’d like, and you can’t help that.
All you can do is figure out when your ultradian cycles happen and try to schedule your day so
that you can hit that sweet spot where interruptions will be lowest, intersecting with your highest
energy cycle. Tend to work between 10 am and 2 pm, but your colleagues tend to get chatty
around noon? Instead of surfing the internet until 11:45 and then scrambling to get something
done in the last 15 minutes, hit the ground running at 10.
Creative Cycles

For others, it’s not the outside interruptions that cut into creative time as much as it’s their
internal rhythms: Not everyone hits their ultradian cycles in the exact center of a typical
workday. Again, you may need to figure out creative ways to make the best of your ultradian
cycles. Some folks work best in the wee hours of the morning; going to bed a little earlier and
getting up before the sun allows them the quiet and focus they need. For others, they do their best
work once the office has mostly emptied out for the day.

The Post-Lunch Slump Hits Again

While the least productive time, generally speaking, to get work done is once you’ve hit more
than 50 hours in a work-week that the post-lunch slump is the main contributor what tends to be
the least productive time of day: 2:55 pm. That’s a good time to get up and move around to get
you through the final push of the workday.

You Can Work Smarter

Harnessing when you’re firing on all cylinders is a great way to get more done, and done better.
But remember, the goal is to be more productive during your peak times, and downshifting when
you’re not going to be as efficient. You aren’t trying to speed up your work assembly line. You
want to find out when you work more effectively. By discovering when you experience peak
productivity times and then using those times most efficiently, you can also experience needed
and necessary downtime without the nagging sense of guilt about whether you should or could
be doing more.
The Most Productive Day of the
Workweek Is ...

By Chad Brooks, Business News Daily Senior Writer December 17,

2013 10:06 am EST
Businesses that have big projects that need to get finished should have employees get
started on them early in the week, because it's all downhill after that, new research
shows. A study from staffing firm Accountemps discovered that Monday and Tuesday
are the two most productive days of the week for employees. Specifically, 39 percent
of human resources managers think employees get the most done on Tuesdays, while
24 percent believe productivity peaks on Mondays.

After the start of the week, the amount of work getting done seems to drop. Only 14
percent of those surveyed feel the most work gets accomplished on Wednesday, with
Thursday and Friday tied for the least productive days. Max Messmer, chairman of
Accountemps, said Mondays can be productive because many workers spend the day
catching up from the previous week and planning the one ahead.

"On Tuesday, employees may begin to have time to focus on individual tasks and
become more productive," Messmer said. "The goal should be to maintain the positive
momentum established on Tuesday throughout the week." To help make that happen,
Accountemps offers the following five tips to increase productivity and make every day
like Tuesday. [5 Ways to Improve Your Work-Life Balance Today]
 Axe the excess: Start by creating a to-do list for the day. Then, cut it in half, focusing on the
top priorities. Too often, workers overestimate what they can accomplish and become
frustrated by their lack of progress. A shorter, more realistic list that leaves room for
unexpected projects and setbacks will help employees become more productive.
 Aim for quality, not quantity: In theory, multitasking seems like a good way to increase
productivity. But it often leads to oversights and errors. Repeatedly switching from one
project to another also slows workers down. They should do their best to focus on one item at
a time.
 Know your prime time: Employees need to tackle critical or challenging assignments
during the time of day when they're most productive. They should handle less-pressing tasks,
like online research, when their energy level starts to wane.
 Dodge derailers: When working on important assignments, workers can increase
productivity by turning off mobile devices and signing out of email and social media. That
allows them to give full attention to the task at hand. They can prevent interruptions by
politely informing colleagues they don't want to be disturbed.
 Explore apps: Consider taking advantage of the wide selection of software that is
specifically designed to increase productivity. Digital calendars, task management apps and
other time-saving programs can help employees keep track of projects, meet deadlines and be
more productive.

The study was based on surveys of more than 300 HR managers at U.S. companies
with 20 or more employees.

Why Filipinos follow Filipino Time?

March 23, 2016 by Brian Tan
For Filipinos, being late and starting things late have always
been part of our culture. Many Filipinos seems to either practice
it or accept it, so much that we’ve been given a term for it —
 Filipino Time.

However, what many Filipinos don’t realize is how crippling on

our total productivity Filipino Time can be, and how it says a lot
about the character of Filipinos. With the deep-rootedness of
tardiness in Philippine culture and literature, the horrible
Manila traffic and public transportation system, and our lack of
ability to discipline ourselves, Filipino Time will always be a
glaring facet of Filipino culture, and its strong network effects
speaks volumes about the kind of people Filipinos are.

Filipino Time in our Literature

Before we can discuss the implications of Filipino Time though,
it’s important for us to know the origin of the term first.
According to Fr. Miguel Bernad, who wrote an essay about
Filipino Time in his book “Budhi: A Journal of Ideas and
Culture”, the phrase Filipino Time was coined by Americans in
the 1900’s because they were irritated by the lack of punctuality
of Filipinos.

However, this habit of tardiness was already commonplace even

during the Spanish colonial period, and students may even
remember that it was featured in Jose Rizal’s “El
Filibusterismo”. In chapter 22 of the novel, where the characters
watch a play in a grand theater, a lady and her husband enter the
theater very late into the play. She was decribed to have the “air
of a queen” and came late as if to say, “I’ve come later than all of
you, you crowd of upstarts and provincials!”. Rizal points out
here that tardiness by Filipinos was not just a habit, but a status
symbol. He even compared this mindset of tardiness of Filipinos
to being in a mule race — that the latest one “wins” and is
considered most important.

Filipino Time in our Government

Because of its deep-rootedness in Philippine culture and
literature, Filipino Time was also practiced by some of the most
important people in the Philippines — government officials. One
example of a specific, embarrassing instance of our tardiness is
the story of President Quirino’s acceptance of an honorary
doctorate in Fordham University back in the 1950’s.

Fordham had honored many heads of state before, and they

scheduled to start the grand ceremony to award President
Quirino at 2:00 pm of that day. However, the President ended
up coming at 4:00 pm, when much of the audience and press left
already, and this clearly insulted the hosts. For President
Quirino to set such an embarrassing example like this, it’s clear
why tardiness among Filipinos continues to thrive as a sign of
our culture already.

The Reasons for Filipino Time

However, in today’s society, there are legitimate reasons as to
why Filipinos still have the habit of Filipino Time. One of these
is the incredible traffic Filipinos have to go through in Metro
Manila. Metro Manila is now known to have the “worst traffic on
Earth” based on a global survey by Waze. As such, when people
want to meet up at a certain time in Manila, the unpredictable
traffic can make them either way too early or too late for their
meeting.

Moreover, Metro Manila also has the longest commute time,

with an average of 45.5 minutes based on the Waze survey.
Filipinos are already used to waiting in long lines for the LRT
and MRT lines, and with no set times for the trains to come, they
can never be certain of how long it will take to get from point A
to B. As such, it is almost impossible for two people to meet
precisely at a certain time with the condition of traffic and public
transportation here in the Philippines.

Why Filipino Time is Contagious

Filipino Time can also be incredibly contagious, and a simple
situation shows how. Let’s say a head of an organization needs to
meet with some of his members regularly at 1:20 pm every
Tuesday. Since the head does not want his time wasted, he
would rather let his members get to the meeting place first and
wait for him. Over time, his members know he usually comes
late, so they have no reason to be punctual either. As such,
instead of meeting at 1:20 pm every day, they usually start their
meetings at 1:30 pm already, because everyone has gotten used
to being late.

Huge Network Effects

This here is an example of the dreadful “network effects” of
tardiness. When who we’re meeting with is constantly tardy, we
have no reason to be punctual anymore. We slowly generate an
understanding that other people will be tardy too, so we show up
late to anticipate for it.

Hence, there is a network effect of people influencing others to

be tardy as they meet more people. This is similar to the network
effects Peter Thiel describes in his book “Zero to One”, such as
when people use Facebook. If all your friends are on Facebook,
then it makes sense for you to join it too. And if all your friends
are always late, then it’s alright if you’re late too. This shows how
contagious Filipino Time can be, and if we add up all the
minutes and hours lost because of people being tardy to
meetings, school, or work, we can start to imagine how
damaging Filipino Time is to our productivity as a country.
Filipino Time in Philippine
Companies
This lack of punctuality isn’t just exhibited by Filipino people,
but it is also exhibited by companies from one of our biggest
industries — the aviation industry. Our two major airlines,
Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific, have both been notorious
for the high percentage of delayed flights they have. According to
Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General
Manager Jose Angel Honrado, the month of January 2015 had a
staggering 103 delayed flights in a day on average. There doesn’t
seem to be any action being done to reverse this lack of
punctuality by airlines either, and these are circumstances we
have come to tolerate whenever we have to fly on local airlines.

A Form of Branding
As such, Filipino Time has transcended being a mere habit of
Filipinos. Instead, it’s become a form of branding of our people,
our companies, and our country as a whole already. After all,
whenever foreigners come to our country, and they complain of
experiences dealing with tardy Filipinos here, it’s easy to tell
them: “Oh, well that’s because we follow Filipino Time.” And
because we call it Filipino Time, foreigners can generalize that
all Filipinos, and everything else in the Philippines, is late as
well. As such, tardiness becomes the brand of our people and
our country. And yet, many Filipinos continue to just tolerate it,
accept it, or even practice it.
So what does this tell us about Filipino culture? Well, for one,
Filipino Time shows how we Filipinos can have a lack of respect
for other people’s time. We can be individualistic in nature.
What is more worrying, though, is that Filipino Time shows how
Filipinos have become a complacent, tolerant, and change-
resistant people. We have had this habit for centuries already,
and there is no sign we will ever lose it. Instead of blaming our
tardiness on ourselves though, some of us even celebrate it as a
hallmark of our culture as Filipinos. We perpetuate that it is
normal to be tardy here in the Philippines. In turn, this has
crippling network effects to our image as Filipinos to foreigners.

What Can We Do About It?

All in all, with the deep-rootedness in Philippine culture and
literature of Filipino Time, our horrible traffic and poor public
transportation, and our acceptance of Filipino Time as a brand,
it is nearly impossible to eradicate tardiness from our culture
and society. However, what’s important is that we do not
celebrate our tardiness as a brand for us Filipinos. We cannot
blame why we ourselves are always late simply on Filipino Time.
We should see that it is usually because of our own lack of
discipline and lack of respect for other people’s time.

When we label our tardiness as Filipino Time, we simply further

perpetuate the crippling network effects of the habit and its
negative brand. This is unfair for the many Filipinos out there
who are punctual, disciplined, and mindful of other people’s
time. As such, the next time you are tardy, don’t blame it on
Filipino Time. It’s time we start admitting our own faults. It’s
time we stopped Filipino Time from being a celebrated part of
our culture as Filipinos.
Connect Deeper
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Brian Tan is a 20-year-old writer, UI/UX designer and front-

end web developer from the Philippines. He’s also the co-
founder and CEO of HangTime — a web app built to help
students create and share class schedules with each other. Get
in touch with him at brian@hangtimeapp.com.