How To Schedule Your Day For Optimal Productivity



Most people are unproductive because they haven't created a clear plan for their day. This lack of clarity quickly leads to procrastination as the brain doesn't like ambiguity. When you lack clarity on precisely when you're going to do what, your brain will use this moment of ambiguity to talk you out of doing the hard work and do something easier instead (such as watching a funny YouTube video). That's why scheduling your day is so important.



"Many people think they lack motivation when what they really lack is clarity."  – James Clear



The Power of Scheduling Your Day



By pre-determining when you're going to do what, you remove the need for decision-making within the moment as you've already created a precise plan in advance. Psychologists call this an 'implementation intention'. A study in the British Journal of Health Psychology showed that creating such an implementation intention increases the success rate of following through with an activity from 34% to 91%.



In other words, by scheduling your day, you're much less likely to procrastinate. That's a big benefit for such a simple routine. By scheduling an activity, you make an appointment with yourself, and you should honour this appointment the same way you'd honor an appointment with other people.



How to Schedule Your Day for Optimal Productivity



My number 1 rule of scheduling the day is that I schedule my most important tasks for the hours in which I generally have the most energy – and my lesser important tasks for the hours in which my energy tends to be lower.



According to research, for most people, the morning is peak energy time (but it differs per chronotype). During your peak energy time, your willpower is stronger and your brain has more energy to focus deeply, think clearly and solve difficult problems with more ease.



According to Steve Kay, a professor of molecular and computational biology at the University of Southern California, most adults perform best in the late morning when it comes to cognitive work. As I experience this as well, I schedule my 1-3 most important tasks in the morning. This way, I'm a lot more effective and efficient.



According to recent research led by Robert Matchock, an associate professor of psychology at Pennsylvania State University, most people are more easily distracted from noon to 4 p.m. That's why I schedule my less important tasks such as email, answering comments, phone calls or meetings later in the day – after I've already completed my most important work.



Here's a tip: I like to batch produce these tasks (lump them together) so that I can get them done in a time-efficient way, without splitting my focus or letting these tasks get in the way of the tasks that truly matter.



Furthermore, I like to use different colors to schedule different type of tasks. For example, my personal appointments are blue, my workouts are green and my work-related tasks are yellow. This way, I quickly see what's coming up next.



词汇表

clarity [ˈklærəti] （思路）清晰，清楚，明确

procrastination [prəˌkræstɪˈneɪʃn] 拖延，拖延症

ambiguity [ˌæmbɪˈɡjuːəti] 模糊，模棱两可，不确定

talk someone out of  说服某人放弃，劝阻

schedule [ˈʃedjuːl] 安排，计划；日程安排，时间表

pre-determine [ˌpriːdɪˈtɜːmɪn] 预先决定，事先安排

precise [prɪˈsaɪs] 精确的，准确的，确切的

implementation intention [ˌɪmplɪmenˈteɪʃn ɪnˈtenʃn] 实施意图（指提前规划具体行动步骤以提高执行成功率）

follow through with 坚持到底，贯彻到底

appointment [əˈpɔɪntmənt] 约会，约定，预约

honour [ˈɒnə(r)] 信守，执行，兑现（承诺或协议）

optimal [ˈɒptɪməl] 最佳的，最理想的

peak energy [piːk ˈenədʒi] 精力高峰（指一天中精力最充沛的时段）

chronotype [ˈkrɒnətaɪp] 作息类型，生物钟类型（一个人倾向于早起还是晚睡的生物钟特征，如早起鸟、夜猫子）

molecular and computational biology [məˈlekjələ(r) ənd ˌkɒmpjəˈteɪʃənl baɪˈɒlədʒi] 分子与计算生物学（分子生物学和计算生物学的交叉学科）

cognitive work [ˈkɒɡnətɪv] 认知工作（指需要脑力思考、分析、记忆等的工作）

associate professor [əˈsəʊsieɪt prəˈfesə(r)] 副教授（大学教师职称）

batch [bætʃ] 批量处理，成批进行；一批，一组

lump together [lʌmp] 把…归并在一起；混为一谈

split one's focus [splɪt] 分散某人的注意力，分心  

get in the way of 妨碍，阻碍，干扰



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