Productivity is knowing yourself – and your downtime

Most of us have a pretty good idea about what times of the day we’re most productive.

For me, I’m a morning person… not just a morning person but an EARLY morning person. I’ve known since I was about 10 that I can get more done between the hours of 6 am and 9 am than most do in a day.

Yet, sometimes I don’t always schedule my workaround that optimum time. And when that happens, I’ve wasted part of my day.

No matter if you are like me or hate the mornings. Knowing you are scheduling tasks that require focus and concentration during your non-prime hours is going to hurt you.

So what can you do? Analyze what can get done and when. Take ALL factors into consideration
and figure out your very best working time.

And you should also use your downtime for productivity, as well.

Let’s face it: there are many times we COULD be doing something but someone else/something else has taken up the time. For example:

• Sitting on the train, waiting to get to your destination.
• Stuck in traffic, waiting for the congestion to clear.
• Waiting at the doctor’s office, waiting for the mechanic, waiting for the parent-teacher conference to start, waiting for the commercial to be over so you can get back to watching your favorite TV program, waiting to pay at the grocery store…

You can manage your time better by turning your downtime into productive time. For example:

• Answer emails on the train.
• Create your to do lists while waiting for a doctor’s appointment.
• Use a voice recorder to create verbal to-do lists, get organized, or make notes while you’re stuck in traffic.
• Pay bills online or create your shopping list during commercial breaks while you’re watching TV.
• Return short phone calls while walking between a parking lot and your office or store.

Look for those timeslots in your schedule and take advantage of them.