Do you struggle to stay alert and focused throughout the workday, zoning out for long periods or leaning on caffeine to push through to 5 p.m.? It’s not you, it’s your schedule, according to a new book.
In Hyperefficient: Optimize Your Brain to Transform the Way You Work, author and neuroscientist Dr. Mithu Storoni argues that understanding how your brain works best, and reorganizing your schedule around that, can transform your focus and productivity. She found the brain peaks in terms of focus from around 9 or 10 a.m. to 1 or 2 p.m., and then again from 3 or 4 p.m. to 8 or 10 p.m. Those are the best times to complete attention-heavy tasks, says Storoni.
In order to take advantage of these top focus times, she advises a structured workday using 90-minute blocks with 10- to 20-minute breaks in between to clear the mind and re-center. She recommends putting the most difficult task at the beginning of each block so you come back to it with a fresh and well-rested mind. Work on the more difficult task for 20 to 30 minutes before moving on to easier tasks that you can complete in the remaining time.
“As soon as you grow tired, your mind flips out of this optimal mental state that is needed for knowledge work. By working in [blocked segments], you are not forcing your brain to work at a heavy load so that it gets tired and leaves that zone,” Storoni said. “This enables you to stay in an optimal zone and keep working for 90 minutes straight.”
Although Storoni advises breaks between every block, people who feel like they’re in a groove can take a shorter 10-minute time-out so as not to lose momentum. If they can afford a longer break, she suggests 20 minutes. For those who find themselves “mentally tired and not wired,” she suggests doing a mindless task such as cleaning up your space, taking a walk outside in the fresh air, or simply doing nothing. You can also participate in “active mental detachment” by doing a crossword, playing a game, or stretching your body and doing some yoga.
When to eat lunch during Storoni’s optimized day is up to you. You might find a natural stopping point between 12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m. Just beware of the “post-lunch dip,” a feeling of drowsiness that many people experience after they eat. During this time, while you may be feeling sleepy but have yet to return to work, Storoni suggests something that is still rare but slowly catching on—a short nap.
“Scheduling in 20-minute naps really rejuvenates your brain’s entire configuration, if you will, giving you mental stamina to prolong good quality work for the second part of the day,” Storoni says.
After lunch, between 1 to 3 p.m., when people are often feeling a bit sluggish, she recommends scheduling meetings rather than focusing on more analytical work that requires deeper focus—the next peak arrives later in the afternoon. These meetings should last between five and 20 minutes to hold everyone's attention.
There’s a big caveat to this type of structured workday though: It may be difficult for someone doing creative work. More artistic pursuits require that you let your brain work at its own pace. Unlike straightforward focus blocks, creativity peaks usually bookend the day—from waking to around 9 to 10 a.m., and again from around 8 to 10 p.m. until bedtime. Storoni suggests a more fluid schedule to take advantage of these peaks when working on a project.
“Start your day perhaps earlier, end it later, but have a larger chunk at lunchtime that you take for a break,” she says.
