Principle 5: Pacing

People vary in how long and hard they can work without a rest. They also vary in the time of day when they work best. Productive workers recognise and adjust to these work patterns to get the most from each work day.

Know Your Limits

Productive workers understand their bodies and understand the foolishness of pushing themselves beyond their limits. They know when they have come to a point of diminishing returns. Often, efficiency deteriorates when workers work too long without taking breaks. They may spend 2 hours finishing a project which, if they had taken a 15-minute break and come back to the project fresh, would have taken an hour and a half – a saving of 15 minutes.

Go With the Flow

Everyone experiences high energy during certain parts of the day and low energy at others. For instance, some workers are morning persons while others work best at night. Productive workers let their energy levels work for them. They schedule work tasks requiring concentration and energy during their peaks and work on routine tasks during their valleys. For example, a morning person would write a report in the morning, when energy levels are high and do routine data entry in the afternoon, when energy levels are low.

Do Everything in its Time

Productive workers do not worry about or concern themselves with matters until it is time. For instance, a gardener does not plant until after the date of the last recorded frost. A proposal writer does not start writing a proposal until he or she has a copy of the request for proposals.

Avoid Procrastination

Productive workers do not procrastinate (or put off) tasks. They spread the work out over the time they are given. Hence, they do not have to cram to complete projects. For instance, a manager given six weeks to write a proposal will work on it throughout the six weeks rather than cramming it in the last week.

Click here to view a video on how to manage your energy.