Is Pushing Through Tasks Counterproductive?

How much thought do you put into what time of day you schedule appointments and work on tasks?

Your energy ebbs and flows throughout the day . . . as does your ability to focus. This concept is known as Biological Prime Time. Frustration and procrastination increase when there is a mismatch between your focus and energy level and the task you are trying to complete. It’s actually counterproductive to “push through it.”

Here’s an excerpt from an email I received from a client.

Today I didn’t have client calls – which could be a ‘yay’ kind of day – but I struggled so much the first few hours of the day that really it was just time wasted. If I don’t have calls in the morning, I may as well not go to the office until after lunch.  I hate that about myself, but as soon as afternoon hits I am way focused. What do you think about client calls only until 1p and then the afternoon is office time?

Here’s my response – and a reminder that each day we are all a work in progress!

I think that is a perfect plan. I’m having exactly the opposite challenge right now. My morning was super productive, but now I’m trying to figure out what to write for a blog post . . . and am really struggling to do this in the afternoon. TOTALLY have “wasted” the last 90 minutes trying to do an “AM task” in the afternoon. I’m slotting it to do first thing tomorrow morning!!!!!

 

When you own your own business, it’s discouraging to feel like you “aren’t doing it right,” and, as this client shared, “hate this about yourself.” The first step towards adjusting your schedule to one that works for you is to become aware of your peak and trough times.

The next step is to create a menu of those tasks and projects that can go into those peak and trough times. For example, projects that require your strongest focus, motivation, and energy should be scheduled during your high time. The fluff tasks (like filing or clearing your desk) could be checked off during your low times.

Last, take advantage of as many BPT times each week as possible by arranging your tasks into the appropriate time slots. When you plug tasks into your calendar with an awareness of “best times,” you’ll begin to create a new routine around scheduling. One tip I use is to color code my tasks for purple for morning and blue for an afternoon as I schedule them.

It’s so hard for me to leave a task undone and move it to the next day, even though I know it will be done more quickly and easily if I do reschedule it for my next morning’s peak time. What helps me push through that “undone” discomfort is a reminder that in the long run when I match the task with the appropriate time of day it typically takes me half the time.

Matching tasks to the right time of day is just one way you can gain more time. The Time Thief Eliminator session will help you find additional ways to reclaim your time.