During the week I was sent an escape room challenge in my email. It was just a bit of fun for Halloween. Now I have written about escape rooms before, and they are great fun. This one I could do on my own and all I needed was a tablet/computer and a pen and paper. So after dinner one night, I thought, let’s do this whilst waiting for the Bake Off to come on.
The email said it would take about 30 minutes, I wanted to give it a go to see if I could work out the codes/puzzles/riddles etc. In order to move on to the next puzzles you had to get the answer correct to avoid being caught by the zombies.
There were a few puzzles that really got me thinking and after a day at work, trying to get my head around them was tough. I started a few of the puzzles numerous times as I kept going wrong, however, I persevered and finally got the answers after much frustration – it did take about 2 hours but my excuse was I was watching The Bake Off at the same time, so I wasn’t fully concentrating on it. But I did wonder had I completed it first thing in the morning, would I have been quicker?
When’s the best time of day for you to use your brain? When are you at your most productive? The norm for many of us is to get up and go to work in the morning and then spend all day using our heads. But is your best time to work mid morning, afternoon or perhaps evening?
When I was at university, I occasionally pulled an all nighter to get an assignment done. It wasn’t ideal but doing it in a concentrated amount of time (and before the deadline) really worked. Ok the pressure made me do it. I did find working late at night was ideal for me. I certainly wasn’t a morning person then.
Now I find afternoons and evenings are best for me to get the job done. I could easily stay late at work in order to get things done, but as I cherish the work life balance I do this only when I’m up against it, rather than make it an every day occurrence.
What is your optimum time of day to be productive and get any work or chores completed? Perhaps you are writing a book whilst working – what time of day do you find works best for you? What time works best for your brain and your lifestyle. If you have young children then you are unlikely to have your own time during the day (unless they are sleeping) so if deadlines are looming are your evenings your best friend?
How do we know what time suits us best….well think about your day, do you jump out of bed raring to go and get on with things, or are you more leisurely paced and after lunch suits you best to get started on a project or task. I quite often leave things requiring concentration until later in the afternoon as I can get stuck in. By then most interruptions have happened and calls etc have eased off so it is an ideal time for me.
Perhaps you like it when people start to head home, and you enjoy the peace and quiet, giving you the space to get on with your main projects then? You can settle in and do all you need to do. I often find something takes far less time than it would with all the interruptions an office brings.
We don’t often or rarely get to pick and choose the times we work. If you find you are working all day and all night make sure you are taking plenty of breaks. If you are working from home, get up and walk around, go outside, even if it is to take the bin in or to take the rubbish out. Try to get a walk even for just 10 minutes a day to get some fresh air and stretch your legs and give your brain a break.
Your peak time for working and being productive will depend on many factors. Schedule time in your diary for when you feel most productive to do the chunkier tasks or those that require more thought. It can be tricky to get into this habit, but just start by scheduling 30 minutes to work on it and then you can increase or move it until you find the time that works best for you.
Have a great week, be productive and take plenty breaks.
Love Emma xxx
Wellbeing with Relaxing Lavender 