They nailed it: The exact time productivity peaks
November 6, 2008 by Shane BorerPosted in: "Seemed like a good idea at the time", Special report
Still waiting for inspiration to strike before tackling your latest project? Bad news: That eureka moment probably won’t show up until you’re long gone from the office.
If you’ve ever felt like you couldn’t possibly get anything constructive done — let alone after 4 p.m. — the latest survey shows you’re not alone. According to the poll by Crowne Plaza Hotels, the least creative and productive time in the day is 4:33 p.m. A full 92% of people admitted this is when they feel least inspired.
So when’s the optimal time to get work done? A full 25% of respondents said they burned the midnight oil when looking for inspiration. After pooling together the data, the survey says 10:04 p.m. is when your brainwaves are functioning at their peak.
Can’t stay up that late waiting for some creative juices? Nearly half (44%) of people cited taking a shower as the best way to coax a mental breakthrough. Bathrooms and running water may have more to do with creativity and productivity that you might think. Archimedes coined the phrase “Eureka!” after spilled bathwater helped him figure out how to measure volume.
And when that moment of inspiration finally arrives, be sure to write down the idea. The research showed that 58% of people forget their best ideas when they fail to get them on paper.
When’s your most productive time of day? Is it first thing in the morning? Are Mondays or Fridays a lost cause when it comes to getting things done? Share your tips and tricks in the comments section below.
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Tags: Crowne Plaza, Inspiration, Midnight oil, Productivity
November 7th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Following the advice of some 1930′s housewife advice book which said to do mental work first thing and not waste the day’s energy on house cleaning, I find the opposite works for me.
Some of my best inspiration and prioritizing comes before work when I am doing mindless small cleaning chores, almost feels like accomplishing two things at once.
November 7th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
I have some of my most creative moments when I’m going to sleep or just waking up.
November 7th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
I find I solve many issues in the late evening hours.
November 10th, 2008 at 11:07 am
I often wake up in the middle of the night with a solution and can’t sleep until I write it down.
November 10th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
I tend to be much more productive in the early morning hours or late evening hours. For that reason, I arrive at work at 6:00 a.m., but leave around 3:30 or 4:00 p.m. By that time of day, I’m fried. So put me down as another person who doesn’t do well after 4:00 p.m. I catch a 2nd wind around 9 at night and I often wake up in the middle of the night with ideas. I keep paper by my bed and have been known to call myself and leave myself a voice mail message so I won’t forget my thoughts.
November 11th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Very interesting. For years my most creative moments occur when taking a shower. I always say to people that “I come up with best ideas when I’m all wet”. I guess I’m not alone. The problem is that I forget many of the ideas after I step out of the shower because I haven’t written them down.