The Secret To Structuring Your Day When Working From Home
Dr Amantha Imber (pictured below) is the Founder of behavioural science consultancy Inventium and the host of How I Work, a podcast about the habits and rituals of the world’s most successful innovators. Here, the goodly Doc gives science-based tips to make your home office even more productive…
With many Australians working from home the majority of the time, thanks to COVID, one of the biggest challenges is how the hours and days can blend together. And because you are no longer seeing your colleagues IRL, the amount of emails you are receiving has probably doubled and phone and Zoom meetings have increased exponentially.
It’s easy for your day to feel like one long reactive slog – and one where you don’t feel like you are actually getting any work done.
Unfortunately, most productivity advice for working from home fails to consider something that underlies it’s effectiveness – your personal Chronotype. Working to your Chronotype can help you take back control of your workday through structuring it based on your natural energy levels.
Chronotype refers to your natural 24-hour sleep-wake cycle which ultimately influences the peaks and troughs of your energy throughout the day.
Around one in every seven people are what Chronotype researchers call Larks. A Lark is a “morning person”. They wake naturally and early, generally before 6am. Larks literally bounce out of bed like a human Tigger and can be deeply irritating if you don’t happen to be running on the same Chronotype.
At the other extreme are Owls. Approximately one in every five people are Owls. As the name suggests, Owls come to life at night. They get their best work done in the evening through to the wee hours of the morning. And unfortunately, standard office hours put Owls at a distinct disadvantage. They are far from firing on all cylinders at 9am and only start to come to life as everyone is clocking off for the day.
For the rest of us that are neither bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning, nor burning the candle well into the night, we are Middle Birds. Middle Birds tend to follow the rhythms of a Lark, but just delayed by a couple of hours.
Larks and Middle Birds experience peak cognitive alertness in the two hours after they are fully awake, which for most of us is between the hours of 9am to 12pm. We then experience a dip after lunch and have a second wind in the late afternoon. Owls are pretty much the opposite.
You can assess which Chronotype you are right here.
But here’s the thing – the key to being productive throughout the day is designing your home workday around your Chronotype.
Here are three ways that you can start to align your workday to your Chronotype:
Schedule “deep work” at your peak
In his book Deep Work, Georgetown University Professor Cal Newport writes about two modes that knowledge workers can be in. The first type of work is Deep Work, defined as work that is cognitively demanding. To do it well, it requires focus and a lack of interruptions, ideally for at least an hour, if not several.
In contrast to Deep Work is the second type of work: Shallow Work. Work that falls into this category includes checking emails and instant messenger, making phone calls, and administrative work – basically, anything that is non-cognitively demanding.
The problem with the way most people structure their workday is that it tends to be random and sporadic. We flit mindlessly between Shallow and Deep Work.
To turbo-charge productivity when you are working from home, Larks and Middle Birds need to schedule Deep Work for before lunch. And ideally during this time, notifications that lure us into Shallow Work need to be switched off. Owls, in contrast, get their best Deep Work done at night, which can be handy for parents during this time as this is when kids are hopefully fast asleep.
Schedule and ritualize Deep Work
While the intent to engage in Deep Work when your energy is at its peak is fantastic, but if you work in a company where co-workers can control your diary, even the best of intentions can fall by the wayside.
Rather than cross your fingers for a free morning (or evening, for Owls), block Deep Work in your calendar. Deep Work should be treated as a meeting with yourself.
At my behavioural science consultancy Inventium, which is populated by mostly Larks and Middle Birds, the majority of the team have two- to three-hour meetings with themselves labelled as Deep Work almost every morning. Those times are respected by team mates and the majority of meetings, both internal and external, happen in the afternoon.
Schedule “shallow work” for your dip
When we hit our daily dip, which for all Chronotypes tend to happen a bit after lunch, we often flounder around at work. We get stuck in our inbox or sit passively in meetings, feeling cognitively foggy.
And we often beat ourselves up for not firing on all cylinders at this time of day.
Instead of fighting against it, we need to proactively schedule Shallow Work for this time of day. The early afternoon is the perfect time to get stuck into your inbox and plough through emails. It’s also a great time to check Instant Messenger or your Slack feed and return phone calls from the morning.
By scheduling Shallow Work for your dip, the time will not be wasted but instead, you’ll be able to align your least cognitively demanding work with when your brain needs to take it a bit easier.
By aligning the structure of your workday to your Chronotype, not only will you get more done when working from home, you will get to the end of the day feeling far more energised because you will have matched your activities to your biological rhythms. And for that, your brain will be truly thankful.
2 – sexsi boşalma eleman
3 – olgun tombul sikişme
4 – milf seksi becerme
5 – zorla abla tecavüz
6 – göt boşalma kız
Please login with linkedin to comment
Dr Amantha ImberLatest News
Sydney Comedy Festival: Taking The City & Social Media By Storm
Sydney Comedy Festival 2024 is live and ready to rumble, showing the best of international and homegrown talent at a host of venues around town. As usual, it’s hot on the heels of its big sister, the giant that is the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, picking up some acts as they continue on their own […]
Global Marketers Descend For AANA’s RESET For Growth
The Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) has announced the final epic lineup of local and global marketing powerhouses for RESET for Growth 2024. Lead image: Josh Faulks, chief executive officer, AANA Back in 2000, a woman with no business experience opened her first juice bar in Adelaide. The idea was brilliantly simple: make healthy […]
Is Meta’s New AI Chatbot Too Left-Wing?
Meta's chatbot accused of being left-wing after being caught wearing a Che Guevara T-shirt & listening to Billy Bragg.
TV Ratings (23/04/2024): Why Did No One Tell Angela That Farmer Wants A Wife Is Set On A Farm?
As wonderful as this headline is, let's face it, we all know an 'Angela', don't we?
PubMatic Unveils New AI Partnership To Turn Social Posts Into Ads For Any Digital Channel
Here's some nifty tech for turning social posts into ads. Assuming said posts aren't one-star character assassinations.
Intuit Mailchimp Makes A Splash With Its First Australian Brand Campaign
Ever laugh along at a gag you didn't get so as not to appear dumb? Get ready for more feigning with this new work.
GumGum’s Rob Hall: Advertisers Can No Longer “Rely On Binary Descriptions” Of Consumers
If anyone's got their finger on adtech's pulse, it's Rob Hall. He also avoids using the good paper in the office printer
Mastercard Nabs Florencia Aimo From Marriott International
Marriott International's Florencia Aimo jumps from the hotel business to the exploitative credit card one.
Bastion Agency Appoints Cheuk Chiang As New ANZ CEO
Cheuk Chiang takes the reins over at Bastion Agency. But not the rains down in Africa.
Spotlight On Sponsors: Major Sponsorship Wins After A Disappointing Week In Sport
B&T continuing our deep dive into local sport sponsorships & that's despite not a single offer of a free ticket as yet.
Macca’s Marketing Director, Samantha McLeod On Big Mac Chant: “What Was Once Old Is Now Cool Again”
Macca's using the power of nostalgia in latest Big Mac campaign. Well, only for those who've ever eaten one sober.
World Premiere Of Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line To Open Sydney Film Festival 2024
Oil's biopic to open Sydney Film Festival. Here's hoping Molly Meldrum will take his pants down at the premiere.
Entries Are Now Open For The 2024 Brandies, IntelligenceBank’s Annual Brand Marketing Awards
The Brandies are, of course, a prestigious marketing gong and not the mystery tipple favoured by nannas everywhere.
The Fred Hollows Foundation Appoints Ardent For PR
Yes, we all like to have a joke at PR's expense. But sometimes it does important work, like this.
AI, eCommerce & Marketing Specialists Are In Increased Demand By Businesses, New Data From Fiverr Shows
Has your philosophy & anthropology degree left you with nothing but a huge HECS debt? Here's what you should've studied.
Perth’s First 3D Anamorphic Billboard Arrives Courtesy Of oOh!media
Do you love a buzzword? Now you can add anamorphic to the list as it relates to billboards, not a colleague's ears.
MasterChef Australia & Crown Resorts Launch Unique Dining Experience With ALUMNI
A pop-up restaurant staffed by MasterChef contestants! That's fine dining prices for first-year apprentice chef cuisine!
Amanda Laing Announces Resignation From Foxtel Group
Foxtel's chief commercial & content officer heads for the exits. Read nice things the bosses said about her right here.
The Lost Letters From Our Diggers: News Corp Unveils ANZAC Day Special
It's nice when brands respectfully acknowledge ANZAC Day.
Howatson+Company Acquires Akkomplice
Large indie acquires a slightly smaller indie. Much like a shark eating a tuna, just with less thrashing and blood.
Google Delays Third-Party Cookie Deprecation Again
In good news for the sale of picture library biscuit photos, Google continues to tease over the end of cookies.
Education A Low Priority For Aussies More Concerned With Cost Of Living Forethought Study Reveals
Study finds Aussies cutting back on education due to cost of living. Booze & Uber Eats sales remain largely unaffected.
“I’m Still The Same Person That I Was”: Rikki Stern Says “Fucc It” To Cancer Stereotypes
B&T always happy to promote the anti-cancer cause. Even brands that massively overdo it with the hot pink.
The Unapproved Climate Certification Allegedly Causing Mass Greenwashing
Are you left flummoxed in the canned tuna & free range eggs aisle? Just wait till this green certification gets up.
TV Ratings (22/04/2024): Fans Mock “Over The Top” Reaction To New MasterChef Judges
MasterChef returns for its 2024 season. B&T stands by putting peppercorns in Gravox & no one will be any the wiser.
Dentsu Restructure: Muddle, Harvey & Johnston Take Leadership Baton As Bass & Yurisich Exit
A large broom has swept through Dentsu's local ops this morning, taking with it some big names & the air con's cobwebs.
Industry Shares Trends Shaping The Industry This International Creators Day
B&T's asking adland creators to reveal their top trends. And it's not good news for your Jenny Kee cardigan collection.
Mable Extends HOYTS Sensory Screenings Partnership
Mable has extended its HOYTS sensory screening partnership. Vigorously defends its two-star Oppenheimer review.
Orphan Launches ‘They Need Our Help. We Need Yours’ For Children’s Cancer Institute
Anything to do with childhood cancers has B&T's 110% support. That said, we do ignore the red meat & alcohol warnings.
Smile Team Orthodontics & Keep Left Collaborate On Smile-Inducing Campaign
As parents would attest, given the cost of orthodontics you'd expect this campaign to be a lavish production indeed.
Opinion: How Video Calls Neglect Learning Diversity
Need an excuse to duck out of a video call this arvo? Show this to your boss.
DoubleVerify Achieves First-Of-Its-Kind Responsible AI Certification From TrustArc
DoubleVerify receives responsible AI certification. However, not its robotic vacuum that's been seen menacing the cat.
Smile For A Good Cause: The Social Media Campaign Giving Back To The Community
Are you known as the office Austin Powers? More for you teeth than shagability? Get snappy new fangs with this news.
Elon Musk Mocks Albo After ESafety Wins Court Injunction Against X
Albo's 2024 from hell continues - Rabbitohs in crisis, down in the polls and now feuding with world's richest man.
Real Estate Developer In Hot Water Over “Sexually Exploitative” OOH Campaign
Real estate agents again tops in the 'least trusted profession' polls, nudging used car salesmen & ad creatives.
Epsilon’s Shane Hanby: Post-Cookie Era Relies On “Teamwork” Between Brands, Marketers & Tech
This pro predicts more "teamwork" in a post-cookie era. Which spells bad news for the uncooperative or plain stubborn.