Using peak performance hours to become more productive

Everyone, at some time in their lives, has had the feeling that there just isn't enough time in the day to do everything that's required of them. If you're someone who has that feeling regularly, it may be time to make a serious effort at managing your time better. We all know that every moment matters.

As you’ll see, effective time management comes down to making the best use of your energy and the moments when you’re at peak performance levels. Here are some simple steps you can take, courtesy of the Youngblood Crew, which can help you make better use of the time you have available. This will ensure that you do have time to get through your whole task list. It works for us, and it can work for you.

DETERMINE YOUR PEAK PERFORMANCE HOURS

Determine which hours of the day you are at your peak energy level. Then you can match up either the majority of tasks with that time or the ones which are most difficult to complete. According to authors Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz, co-writers of the book “The Full Power of Engagement”, the key to optimum personal performance is actually managing your energy, not time itself.

Time is uniform and belongs to everyone equally, but your personal energy level is something you actually have the power to control. This calls for an honest self-evaluation in which you identify the period of the day where you feel the most energized, the most creative, and the most productive.

Peak performance hours vary widely among people. Whatever yours are, you should use them for maximum effectiveness by taking on the most mentally or physically draining tasks while your energy level is highest. Non-critical tasks can be performed at other times when your energy level is somewhat lower.

ASSIGN TASKS TO SPECIFIC TIMES

Once you've determined what your peak performance period is, segment that time off with time boxes and assign tasks to them. Set yourself a deadline for accomplishing each task, and stick to the deadline for a task before going ahead to the next task. What makes this work is the fact that you're focusing more on time than on the tasks. If you make a point of sticking to the deadlines, you should quickly begin to see results.

If you find that you're consistently missing deadlines, you can either allot more time to tasks that require more effort, or you can break up those large tasks into smaller sub-tasks. Try to limit all distractions during your peak performance hours, because distractions can quickly rob you of available time. Pretty soon you'll find that you've exceeded many of your time box allotments. When you do exceed time box deadlines, stop there and move on to the next task while making a mental note that this task requires more time in the future.

KEEP ACCURATE TIME

To make sure you're sticking to your time allotments faithfully, start your commitment to better management by browsing through the collection of fine timepieces from Youngblood. This is where the retail middleman has been eliminated to save you money. This is where you'll find the time in your world.