Perhaps, many times you have found necessary to get up in the middle of the afternoon from your work desk and grab a coffee or a chocolate bar. It is possible that actually, you are only dragging in the mornings but could stay up all night as needed to work. Either way, your body is letting you know what schedule works the best. These physical warnings are part of what we call the circadian rhythm and by being in sync with yours, you should be able to increase your productivity.
Your body, your circadian rhythm, your work schedule
Your circadian rhythm is what defines your internal body clock within a 24 hours period. It will dictate your body when it can perform at its best. So, learning about it as a worker can greatly improve your work performance. Employers could also benefit from being aware of their team members circadian rhythm and create some matching schedules according to everyone’s overall bodily peaks and lows.
Know that no matter how much coffee your drink, you might just not be a morning person. Your hormones level will be responsible for how much energy you display. Perhaps your body does not kick in full gear until mid-afternoon. You will have to accept it and try to accommodate it as much as possible. You will experience some ups and downs (peaks and lows) throughout the day and that is also totally normal.
Identifying if you are a morning person or a night performer will certainly help you arrange your schedule accordingly. Communicating that information to your employer, giving them the opportunity to work with your productivity peaks is an even better idea. It might not always be feasible, but at least you can try.
Organizing your own daily work load accordingly to your circadian rhythm is beneficial. You should plan to work on projects or presentations, meetings requiring more concentrating when you are feeling at your best. As an employer, try to assign deadlines that are considering how well your team members work: mornings or afternoons. Adding unnecessary stress and stretching their natural rhythm is never the best solution to maximize productivity.
Naps can help you be more productive as well. A twenty or thirty minute’s nap at lunch time or in the middle of the afternoon when you are experiencing a low could be a great idea. A lot of firms have now a dedicated wellness room allowing you to get away from the office chaos and rest in a peaceful environment or simply meditate or snooze for a short period of time.
Additionally to help maximizing your employee’s productivity, as managers you might want to make sure you do pay attention to circadian rhythms. To do so, let your employees decide when they come in and/or leave for the day, as long as they put in their 35 or 40 required hours a week. You might be surprised how much more work they will be able to accomplish if they are working during their most energized period.
Being aware of yours and your crew’s circadian rhythm could be the smartest observation you make for your organization. This could revolutionize your productivity level.
David Klein is a leading Executive IT Recruiter & Headhunter with over 15 years industry experience. As Manager of Recruitment Strategy for KDS Staffing, Inc., he has achieved industry-leading success. David has successfully led, trained and introduced many in the art of Executive Recruitment and Headhunting. If you or your organization would like to discuss hiring needs, contact David at 646-650-2833 or david@kdsstaffing.com.
