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Work in 90-minute cycles separated by 20-minute breaks

Your energy moves in waves through the day: stretches of about 90 minutes of high alertness, alternating with dips of 20 to 30 minutes in which concentrating takes real effort. Kleitman called this the Basic Rest-Activity Cycle and saw it as the waking continuation of the sleep cycle, which also runs in blocks of roughly 90 minutes.

That link to the night does not hold up. Lavie measured daytime sleepiness rhythms in 1995 and found they are not anchored in the sleep stages: mornings have a different structure than afternoons, and the first dip arrives about 100 minutes after waking, whatever stage you woke from. The rhythm is real, but the clock of your night does not set it.

The 90 minutes is a rule of thumb, not a stopwatch. Huberman points out that you can start a cycle yourself, unlike your circadian rhythm, and that two or three of them fit in a day. Storoni works with 60 to 90 minutes, shorter as the day wears on. Among the 10 percent most productive people, DeskTime measured 112 minutes of work followed by a 26-minute break.

So put your hardest work in blocks of 60 to 90 minutes, with the most demanding part in the first twenty, and then take a real break instead of sliding into the next screen. Do not wait for the right moment in your rhythm, because you start the cycle yourself; the break is what makes it repeatable.

Give your mind time to wander

It is important to let your thoughts roam freely sometimes. This is also known as “mind wandering” or “scatter focus.” In our world, everything revolves around productivity; everything must be visible and measurable. But because of this, we often forget how valuable it is to give your mind a break. Your brain has a special network (the Default Network) that becomes active when you do nothing and daydream. This network makes you creative and able to solve problems. It generates new ideas and connects loose thoughts, exactly what you need for innovation and creativity.

It is important to understand that not all your valuable work is immediately visible. Most productivity tips focus on working with concentration, doing each task with full attention. But breaks and relaxation are also truly valuable! They give your brain the chance to recover and make new connections. This is becoming increasingly important as computers take over many logical tasks from us, while creative and emotional tasks (handled by your Default Network) remain typically human.

If you want to make room for creativity, you must not only physically leave your office but also mentally experience new things. This means allowing yourself to be bored without immediately reaching for your phone. Boredom can be incredibly powerful for creative thinking because your mind is then forced to find new ways to keep itself occupied. By consciously scheduling time for mental rest and daydreaming, you find a good balance between being productive and being creative. And that ultimately leads to much more innovative and inspiring results.

Attempting to do two or more attention-demanding tasks simultaneously reduces productivity

Multitasking means trying to do multiple things at once. This causes your attention to be divided, making it harder to focus on one task. When your attention is divided, you are more likely to make mistakes or miss important details. As a result, you often have to spend more time correcting these mistakes, which makes you less productive. Research shows that most people are not good at multitasking without their work suffering.

Multitasking can also lead to “attention residue.” This means that when you switch from one task to another, part of your attention remains on the previous task. This makes it harder to fully concentrate on the new task, reducing your efficiency. Constantly switching between tasks can also be tiring, making it harder to think clearly and make good decisions.

To be more productive, it is often better to focus on one task at a time, also known as monotasking. By giving your full attention to one task, you can complete it faster and with fewer errors. This means not only finishing faster but also producing higher quality work. Although some people are good at multitasking, this is not true for most people. Therefore, it is usually better to avoid multitasking for tasks that require a lot of attention..

Heck, even I would love to go back to school if this were the curriculum:

The basic foundation is student-centered, self-directed projects. In service of learning to solve interesting problems and how to lead as well as follow. And to support that, the “courses” are practical tools students can use on their projects.

Capture your mind wandering while reading; get into a conversation with the author

When you read, your thoughts sometimes wander. Many people see this as a problem, but it can actually be very valuable! When your thoughts wander, you are being creative - making connections with other ideas or experiences. Instead of seeing this as a mistake, you can consider it a kind of conversation with the writer. Even though the writer cannot respond directly, you can still add your own ideas and knowledge to what you read. This makes reading much more enjoyable and educational: you not only absorb information but also actively think along.

To help this ‘conversation’ with the writer, it’s smart to take notes while reading. This can be done in a notebook or on your phone or computer. By writing down your thoughts, you can better reflect on what you read and the connections you make. And by writing down and connecting your ideas, you can create a kind of network of thoughts. By actively participating in reading and giving your own perspective, you not only understand the text better but also develop your own ideas!

Use your own words to express your own thoughts

When you write information in your own words, you really need to understand what it is about. This helps you remember the information better and form your own opinion. It is an active way to engage with new ideas, rather than just reading what others have written.

It is important to use your own words because there is a big difference between highlighting text and writing down your own thoughts. Highlighting and making notes usually happens while reading, but taking notes happens while thinking. By using your own words, you move from passive reading to active thinking. This helps you think more deeply about what you read and gain new ideas and insights that you might otherwise miss.

Additionally, writing down your thoughts in your own words can help you clarify and better understand your ideas. Writing forces you to organize your thoughts, which can lead to a better understanding of difficult topics. It also helps you convey your own opinions and arguments more clearly. In short, using your own words to express your thoughts is important for personal and intellectual growth.

Choose a workplace where you can see other people focused on their tasks. This will help you concentrate better.

This happens because the things you see influence how you feel. Seeing others working hard reminds you to stay focused yourself. This idea is often used in places like libraries and cafes, where people work together and create a productive atmosphere.

When you see others working hard, it can make you feel like you need to work harder too. This is because you feel responsible and experience social pressure. Research shows that people try harder when they see others performing a difficult task. Working in an environment with focused people can help you concentrate better and be more productive. Therefore, try working in a coffee shop or library, where you are surrounded by others who are also working.

Start with the difficult work and do the easy things later

Start with the difficult work and save the easy tasks for later. This helps you manage your time wisely. Difficult tasks often yield the most when you look further ahead. By doing these tasks first, you use your energy for what is truly important. This prevents you from procrastinating. Many people start their day with easy chores, like reading emails. This seems productive, but you don’t really make progress on the important matters.

It can be challenging to start with difficult work. However, this yields more. If you start with a challenging task in the morning, you are still fresh and clear-headed. This helps you achieve better results. After the difficult work, the easy tasks feel much lighter. This gives you a good feeling and more energy for the rest of the day.

The small tasks are also important, but tackle them smartly. Save them for moments when you get stuck with a difficult project. By doing small tasks all at once, you work faster. You can also strategically use small tasks when you have a very short deadline. Then it can actually help to start with the easy things. You feel better for a moment and get more motivation to continue working.

The most important thing is to organize your day in a way that you achieve the best results. This often works best by tackling the difficult tasks first.

A standing desk does not appear to impact productivity

Research into the use of sit-stand desks shows that these desks do not directly lead to higher productivity at work. Although they are popular for reducing the drawbacks of prolonged sitting, they have little impact on how well people perform their tasks.

However, sit-stand desks can help create a healthier work environment by offering the option to alternate between sitting and standing. This can lead to a better work experience and well-being, which may have a positive impact on productivity in the long term. For immediate productivity improvement, other factors such as work processes and technology are likely more important.

When you get stuck, talk to the duck

Talking out loud to yourself helps your brain work better. This has been proven by research. For example, saying the word “chair” instead of just thinking about it can help you concentrate better. Teachers also notice that students who talk quietly to themselves during class often perform better than those who remain silent.

You can also talk to an object, like a rubber duck. This helps to organize your thoughts. It’s like writing something down: you have to think about the order of your story. Often, you think you understand everything, but when you say it out loud, you realize what you don’t fully grasp yet. It’s similar to explaining something to someone else to understand it better yourself. Talking is faster than writing, and a rubber duck won’t judge you. This way, you can think freely and might come up with new ideas.