How to Put Natural Patterns to Work for You
By Sandy Schroeder
Most of us have had days where work simply did not flow. On other days, everything worked perfectly. Finding out what the difference is in natural choices could make a huge difference in productivity and job satisfaction.
Fast Company suggests we work effortlessly when we are working efficiently within the brain's natural flow. Recognizing where creativity or analytical skills are needed and when to do them can make work flow more smoothly.
Here are four steps to take.
Sort Out Tasks as Analytical or Creative
Separating the ones that require more creative thought from those that are clearly analytical can make the tasks flow better and faster. If a project requires both processes you may want to split them apart.
Review Previous Projects and Successes
Consider the ones where you moved about freely to create new approaches and ideas. Next consider the analytical tasks that you have done. Now remember what were the best times for each of these tasks. Did you tackle analytical assessments in the morning? Perhaps creative projects usually happened in the afternoon. Analytical work may have required several consecutive days, and creative ones may have been more flexible, popping up once or twice a week. As you think about past projects you may see a pattern with the most comfortable spots.
Dig Into Your Work Habits
Pause now and then when you are working to think about what is happening, what feels productive and what does not. We all have tasks that are less enjoyable. Changing the time that we do them may make them go faster. Or reserving all of those tasks for one day during the week might be a way to free up the other days.
Move Projects Around As You Please
Fast Company says you may find it a lot easier to focus if you let your brain choose which tasks should come first. We all know how great it feels when we are enjoying a task, and how tiring it feels when we are forcing ourselves to plow through a task.
Become a good detective, and spot natural trends in your work behavior. The more you spot what is successful and understand what is happening, the better your work may become. You may find that you benefit from doing some quiet work planning at home before you come into the office. Or you might find that you work right through lunch, break for a late lunch at 2 p.m., and come back about 4 p.m. to work on through to 7 p.m.
Recognizing natural patterns of work can make a world of difference in productivity. Keep looking for the naturals that just make sense for your brain and temperament. The results will be well worth the effort to accommodate your individual differences.
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