Week 5: Use Circadian Rhythms to Perform Better
KEY POINTS:
1. We naturally have a circadian rhythm, an internal biological clock that regulates sleep, eating patterns, mood, hormone regulation, and everything your body does during the day.
2. Because of this internal clock, there are times when we feel more awake, have a spike in energy, or are able to concentrate better. Alternatively, there are times when we feel more sleepy or lethargic.
3. Take advantage of your circadian rhythm to optimize health and performance, and build your ultimate day.
“I try to manage my day by my circadian rhythms because the creativity is such an elusive thing, and I could easily just stomp over it doing my administrative stuff.”
Humans all have circadian rhythms. We’re naturally responsive to a light-dark cycle that occurs with the sun and the moon. Every human has certain times during the day when they are going to be more alert and able to concentrate better. The peak performance window for a lot of people is typically about 3 to 4 hours during the day, and that varies for each person.
Think about when during the day you naturally and easily do your best work, and try your best to do focused work around those hours. Some people excel in the mornings; some people are more nocturnal.
Working at your ideal time while devoid of distraction sets the stage for entering flow, that time and space when we have plenty of energy, we’re focused, we’re excited, we’re engaged, work is easy, and time becomes irrelevant. Top performers can enter this flow state on-demand by controlling their arousal state. If we revisit the Yerkes-Dodson law that we discussed a while back, you might remember that performance is optimal when you are moderately aroused. If you’re unmotivated, bored, tired, or on the flip side, if you’re nervous, stressed, anxious, or fearful, you cannot perform. If you’re motivated, focused, and dialed in, you can get great work done.
Once you know when you work best, you must commit to staying on task. You should turn off:
All computer notifications
Email
Social media alerts
Phone ringers
During this time, you can close your doors, if possible, or put a sign up that says, “Deep focused. Please help me concentrate.” Do whatever it takes to completely shut out distractions so you can focus on single tasks during your devoted work time.
Guiding yourself through the process of understanding your own circadian rhythm is a simple and powerful basis for helping you work more efficiently. When you understand the times that you are most productive, you can then implement systems to protect that time and optimize the value of time at work and in your personal life. This will elevate the overall value of everything you do.
This week’s exercise is about tracking your energy cycles to help you discover when your energy is at its highest and its lowest. See pages 31 - 32 in The Focus Effect Workbook or click Here to download the exercise. By scoring your energy levels from 1-5 at different times of the day, you can identify any patterns in your circadian rhythm and plan out your work periods more strategically by doing your most important work when your energy levels are at their peak.
Watch this TED Talk on the role of the circadian rhythm in our health
The information and advice provided in this program is intended to assist you with improving your performance, as well as your general health. It is not intended and should not be used in place of advice from your own physician or for treatment or diagnosis of any specific health issue. By participating in this program you acknowledge that undertaking any new health, diet and/or exercise regime involves certain inherent risks, that you assume such risks, and that you release Wells Performance Inc. from any responsibility or claim relating to such participation.