Latest news with #Timebox
Forbes
24-05-2025
- Health
- Forbes
Best Time To Work: Align Tasks With Your Circadian Rhythm
Shot of a young businessman taking a break at his desk Have you ever wondered why some parts of the day feel easier than others? Why does your mind function best in the morning, yet reading an email after lunch can feel overwhelming? The answer lies in your circadian rhythm—your body's internal clock that regulates energy levels, alertness, and cognitive performance throughout the day. Just as your energy levels fluctuate throughout the day, different activities require different types of energy. The key is to find the best time to work on each activity. In my book Timebox, I explore how aligning your schedule with your natural rhythm isn't just beneficial for your health—it's a game-changer for your productivity and well-being. Let's examine the best times of day for various types of work based on how your brain and body actually operate. Your brain is sharpest in the morning, especially during the first few hours after waking up. This is your Power Time, ideal for tasks that require deep focus, strategic thinking, and willpower—like planning, writing, decision-making, and studying. Use these early hours to work on your most important goals—not email. Your willpower is at its maximum, so use this time to tackle tasks that require a lot of self-discipline. You perform at your best physically either early in the morning, when your mind is sharp, or in the late afternoon before dinner, when your body feels warm and flexible. Schedule your workout for the early morning, ideally between 5 and 7am, or around 5 to 7pm before dinner. If you are in a super busy schedule and dedicating aa full hour to a workout seems out of reach, research from Google and Fitbit shows that keeping your body active even for 10–15 minutes of distributed activity can combat fatigue, increase energy, and enhance focus. After lunch, you may notice a dip in your energy levels and cognitive sharpness. This period is perfect for handling routine or administrative tasks that require less mental exertion, like replying to emails, arranging meetings, or updating documents. Consider this as your body's 'maintenance mode.' As the day progresses, your brain grows more divergent and creative. When you begin to feel a bit tired, you tend to restrain your thoughts less, which boosts brainstorming, content generation, and innovative thinking. Use late afternoon to do more creative work or uncover the blockers you found in the morning. After dinner your brain begins to slow once more. Your willpower reaches its lowest ebb. This offers an excellent opportunity to absorb content instead of creating it. Consider reading a book, listening to a podcast, reflecting on your day, or journaling your thoughts. The best time to schedule One-on-Ones is mid-morning (9:30–11:00 a.m.), when energy remains high and individuals have had a chance to settle in. Such meetings tend to be more focused, productive, and emotionally connected. The best time for Team Meetings is Late morning (10:00–12:00) or early afternoon (1:00–3:00 p.m.). If the aim is high attendance, YouCanBookMe's research suggests that the best time and day is around 2:30 on a Tuesday. Calendly research shows that Wednesday was the most popular day for work meetings, while Tuesday was the most popular day for virtual meetings. If you engage in training or competition twice weekly, plan those sessions for the morning when you feel most alert. Use the remaining three mornings for your most critical tasks. This schedule allows you to maximize both your physical energy and mental clarity while avoiding burnout. I've observed that my optimal performance in sports occurs between 8 and 10 AM, and I cannot train too early or without having breakfast. Therefore, I dedicate three mornings to focused work and two mornings to intense exercise. Time management isn't just about discipline—it's about working with your biology, not against it. By respecting your circadian rhythm and finding the best time to work on each activity, you'll reduce stress, avoid burnout, and accomplish more with less effort.
Forbes
30-04-2025
- General
- Forbes
What Is Your Time Management Style? Take This Quiz
Talented female writer has a Perfectionist time management style Have you ever wondered why some people breeze through their tasks while others struggle to keep up? Everyone approaches time management differently, shaped by their habits, personalities, and experiences. By understanding your natural time management style, you can identify strengths to leverage and weaknesses to address, helping you create a system that works best for you. Time management is not a one-size-fits-all approach. What works best for you depends on your unique style, preferences, and circumstances. Over time, I've discovered that people tend to struggle in different ways: some have trouble focusing and jumping between tasks without completing them (Multitaskers); others struggle to stay engaged with a single task and quickly shift to something more stimulating (Procrastinators); and some get stuck perfecting every detail, delaying completion out of fear of sharing imperfect results (Perfectionists). I've developed a simple time management assessment to help you identify your default way of managing time. Whether you need to tackle perfectionism, decision fatigue, or setting boundaries, this tool allows you to be more aware of what struggles tackle first. Your typical response mode may also shift depending on the situation. If that happens, exploring the other modes will help you develop a well-rounded approach, ensuring you're prepared to manage your time effectively in any scenario. Self-awareness is the first step to real change. Ready to find out your time management personality? Take the test here and discover your default mode or find the questions and scores in my new book Timebox. Your responses in this assessment reveal your dominant time management style. The category with the most responses represents your primary time management mode. If two or more categories are tied, you may have a situational mode, meaning your time management tendencies shift based on different situations. Take the test to find out your natural time style and get tailored strategies to boost your productivity. Below are descriptions of each category: You thrive in fast-paced environments and often juggle multiple tasks at once. While this may give you a sense of productivity, frequent task-switching can reduce efficiency and increase stress. You may find it challenging to focus deeply on one task at a time, leading to incomplete work or mental fatigue. Implementing timeboxing and single-tasking strategies can help you improve focus and effectiveness. You tend to put off tasks, especially those that seem difficult or uninteresting. While you may work well under pressure, relying on urgency often leads to stress and last-minute scrambling. You might struggle with getting started or staying motivated. Breaking tasks into smaller steps, setting clear deadlines, and using external accountability can help you overcome procrastination and build momentum. You set high standards and strive for flawless execution. While this ensures quality, it can also slow you down, leading to overanalysis, hesitation, or fear of failure. You may struggle with knowing when a task is 'good enough' to move on. Learning to define realistic completion points and embracing progress over perfection will help you become more efficient while maintaining high standards. You manage your time effectively while maintaining a healthy balance between productivity and wellbeing. Unlike the other styles, you don't fall into extremes of multitasking, procrastination, or perfectionism. You prioritize tasks strategically, set realistic goals, and allow time for rest and personal wellbeing. Your approach allows for high performance and sustainable success, making you adaptable and resilient. Continuous reflection and small adjustments help you maintain this balance over time. Read more about the other modes to understand how your coworkers think and feel. By discovering your time management style, you'll gain insights into your natural tendencies and common behaviors, helping you focus on the tools that better align with your strengths and address your more frequen challenges first.
Forbes
24-04-2025
- General
- Forbes
The Fear Of Finishing: How Perfectionists Get Things Done In 3 Steps
Perfectionist examining a contract meticulously with a magnifying glass at office not finishing it Perfectionism often paralyzes high achievers, keeping them trapped in an endless loop of refining and tweaking and preventing them from finishing. But the opposite—giving up altogether—can also hold you back. When the fear of failure, change, or even success becomes overwhelming, abandoning a task can feel like the safest option. Rather than pushing forward, some avoid completing tasks altogether, procrastinating, delaying decisions, or walking away before the finish line. This fear of finishing presents itself in many forms. Some start strong but abandon their projects midway, paralyzed by the fear of not meeting their expectations. Others delay completion, terrified of judgment—thinking that if they don't finish, no one can criticize the outcome. The irony is that the longer you delay, the heavier the unfinished task becomes, creating a cycle of avoidance and stress. I've personally experienced this when writing my book, Timebox. For months, I refined the content, tweaking the chapters, adjusting the flow, constantly seeking the "perfect" version. But the more I held onto it, the more anxious I felt. It was safer to keep working on it than to face the judgment of others. This delay didn't serve me—it only kept me stuck in a perpetual state of not being 'finished.' One of my coachees once said, 'I keep tweaking my work because I know people will have opinions about it once I finish. But the more I hold onto it, the more anxious I get. It feels safer to keep working on it forever than to let it go and face feedback.' The good news? It's possible to break free from this cycle. The key to moving forward is shifting your mindset from perfection to progress. Instead of overworking or avoiding tasks, focus on setting realistic expectations. Not everything needs to be flawless. In fact, embracing the idea that 'done is better than perfect' can be incredibly freeing. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is by using time limits. When you set clear timeframes for tasks, you ensure that you finish them—not because they are perfect, but because you've committed to completion. This helps you stop tweaking and start moving forward. To take this further, think of each task as "finished for now"—not forever. Once you've done your best within the set time, let it go. This doesn't mean you never revisit it, but it allows you to move on to the next thing without feeling like you need to do everything at once. The fear of failure or criticism can create an instinct to disengage, convincing you that abandoning a task is the best way to avoid discomfort. But this avoidance strategy offers only temporary relief. In the long run, it leads to frustration, regret, and unmet goals. To break this pattern, I remind myself of the song "Could Have Been Me" by Halsey. It's a reminder that letting fear control your actions leads to missed opportunities. Completing a task—even if it's imperfect—is more powerful than leaving it undone. When fear strikes, the key is to recognize that it's normal. But you can still move forward. Set time limits, focus on progress, and embrace the value of completion. By doing so, you'll not only finish more tasks but build the resilience and confidence you need to tackle the next challenge. Clearly define the final step that marks the task as finished. For example: For example, instead of setting a timebox on your calendar as 'work on this report,' redefine it as: 'Spend 90 minutes drafting the report.' 'Log additional ideas in the parking lot.' 'Email the draft to my manager by the end of the day.' The more specific you are, the better you know what to focus on to get the task done. This approach ensures you stay focused on the essentials while leaving room for improvement later if needed. ✨ Pro Tip: "Finished for now is better than never finished at all." While weekly planning can make everything seem achievable in theory, daily planning grounds your schedule in reality. For perfectionists, this approach is especially valuable—it allows you to factor in existing commitments, last-minute requests, and your actual energy levels when setting expectations. By planning day by day, you avoid overloading yourself and ensure your goals are realistic and attainable. To build this habit, schedule a daily planning session—either at the end of the day to prepare for tomorrow or at the beginning of the day to set priorities. Set realistic expectations for quality (What kind of detail is expected?, Who is going to review it?) and quantity (think about how much time you have to get the task done). This is how I overcame my own fear of finishing my book. It wasn't about getting everything perfect. It was about moving forward, making progress, and, eventually, sharing my work with others. By adopting this mindset, I finished my book—and you can finish your p
