Sometimes it feels like there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done. Have you ever blinked and realised that you’ve been staring at the same screen for thirty minutes without progress, or got to 5 o’clock feeling burnt out and anxious about all the unfinished tasks and challenges that are piling up? It’s pretty common to feel weighed down and weary by an unrelenting work schedule.

The thing is, this kind of ‘hard slog’ approach to the working day is pretty counterintuitive. There’s a mountain of evidence from neuroscience, and experts in work culture strategy, to suggest that people perform some tasks better than others at different times of the day. It makes much more sense to develop a work strategy that complements your natural circadian rhythms.

As an example, your brain function is sharper around mid-morning time, so that’s when you’ll be able to focus on those tricky tasks that feel much less do-able by mid-afternoon. Better to work through more routine tasks later in the day, and finish off by tying up loose ends, checking in with colleagues, and setting goals and upcoming tasks ready for the morning. 

This is why it’s so important to factor these peak performance times for different activities into your time management plan. Not only will you use your time more efficiently and effectively, but you will also find that being considerate to natural human work rhythms will lead to a healthier and more enthusiastic work culture.

To give you a breakdown of how you can plan your day to maximize your productivity, the small business capital experts at Headway Capital have collated the research and advice into an accessible guide. This will help you set up a healthy and efficient work routine, so that every day feels like a job well done.