Enlist Your Energy Level as a Productivity Tool

Imagine this... You walk in the door of your office to start your workday, holding the list of your 3-5 "must do" tasks for the day, but you simply can't get started. So much for that "hit the ground running" idea you had, right? Not exactly!

Instead of assuming the day is lost, take a moment to assess your energy level. Different people have peak energy levels at different times of day. While some folks are "morning people" who have higher energy in the morning, that is not true for everyone. It is important to attack challenging work when your energy is at its peak, understanding that will vary from person to person.

If your energy peaks first-thing in the morning, you may choose to enlist your energy level as a productivity tool by "swallowing the frog". This means that you tackle your most difficult tasks first.

If your energy peaks later in the workday, you may choose to adopt the mantra of "activity breeds activity", starting with easier tasks and building momentum to do your more difficult work later.

Similarly, if you have lots of meetings, it becomes even more important to be aware of how your energy fluctuates during the day. Since meetings are designed for discussions and shared decision-making, it is important to have enough energy to address those activities. If you find your energy waning right before an important meeting, glance at my suggestions posted yesterday for how to quickly boost your energy reserves.

Are you more of a morning person, night owl or something in between? How can you adjust when you attack certain work functionality to utilize that for greater productivity?