Whether we intended it or not, most of us are experiencing complex work schedules – where we need to mentally switch back and forth from problem-solving skills, to socio-emotional skills, to learning abilities, to analytical thinking. Or a mix of these. Daily.

If the following are in your control or you can at least influence the agenda, neuroscience findings strongly advise you to:

🌞 Dedicate MORNINGS and late mornings to analytical, logical, methodological tasks that require sharpness and intense focus. For most of us, cognitive performance seems to reach a peak before noon, which only rebounds in the evenings.
If you’re in charge of a team, try to avoid long meetings in the morning unless absolutely necessary, as for most* of your colleagues this is probably the most productive time of the day. Also, replying to emails or helping out others on small tasks might be better left for after lunch.

⛅️ Use what you feel are your “DOWN TIMES” (low energy, blurry focus, easily distracted) for solving other kinds of problems – insight problems, as social scientists call them. Afternoons or early evenings might be a great time for those brainstorming, creative, out-of-the-box solution finding meet-ups that you’ve postponed in the morning.
Why? Because if your “cognitive guards” are on a break, so are most of your inhibitors, leaving a higher chance for an Aha-moment to occur and space for innovative, uninhibited thinking. Why not hack around all that self-censorship and doubt?

⚡️ Bonus tip: if you organize learning events / sessions in your team, try to schedule them on THURSDAYS. Same goes for examinations (accreditations, certifications, tests).
According to Hannon & Dunlop (2016), “performance for learning processes is better on Thursdays than Mondays”.

What are some of your favourite quick & dirty tips to navigate a busy schedule?

Note*: not all chronotypes will fit into the average. According to Roenneberg, approx. 21% of your colleagues will be owls (night-time thinkers) and some larks: 14% (early birds). However, 65-70% of us pigeons are somewhere in the middle.

Note**: He did not call us “pigeons”, that was me, I think they’re cute.