Do you know your most productive hours during the day? A May 2005 survey of US workers for Careerwomen.com, published on MBACareers.com, found that Tuesday mornings between 10 am and noon are considered to be the height of productivity. Interestingly, a survey of British workers conducted by the health supplement company, Bimuno, published in Telegraph.co.uk, found that Tuesday mornings at 11:45 am is the most stressful time of the workweek. Is there a correlation between the two surveys apparent contradiction?
 

Employees respond to workload and stress level

I believe the survey results point to a heightened level of employee productivity on Tuesday to compensate for the workload which wasn’t completed on Monday (which increased both productivity and stress). Tuesday becomes the day to catch up and get back on track for the rest of the week. The Bimuno survey also notes that one in five workers leave the office late on Tuesday as they work extra hours to make up for poor performance on Monday.

3 Tips to Help You Avoid Workload Stress

• Determine your most productive time of the day
You should have a good idea when you are the most alert, energized, and able to focus on a task. For many of my friends it’s the early morning hours. Some of them have even modified their work schedules to come in an hour earlier to take advantage of their morning energy. Other people, the night owls, choose to come in later and stay longer in the afternoon to take advantage of the calm after the chaos of the day has diminished.

• Set aside at least one hour during your most productive time for yourself each day
Close your office door if possible. Ask your staff, co-workers and boss to respect your privacy during this one hour. Use this personal time to write detailed reports, review weekly staff schedule, complete employee evaluations, and other tasks requiring your undivided attention. Resist the temptation to check email or answer your telephone (calls from your boss could be an exception.)

• Set a specific time each day for “office hours”
Let your staff and co-workers know that this time is set aside specifically for them. You will answer their questions by email or telephone, collaborate on their projects, or discuss their personnel concerns. You could establish one hour in the afternoon or a half hour in the morning and a half hour in the afternoon. Plan the number of hours and time for the convenience of your staff but not during your most productive hours of day.

Get more done in less time by planning your day

We’ve all heard Parkinson’s Law that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” If you plan your day wisely, you can have one hour for yourself, one hour for your staff, and still have six hours for routine tasks, project analysis, vendor meetings, or whatever needs to be done. With proper planning, you can accomplish more in less time with less stress.

Post a comment letting us know your most productive hours of the day. Thanks.

-Mike Mitchell

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