Page 82 - Time Management

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Rocks, Blocks, Goals, and Clusters
A Few Hints
When you feel sluggish, you can write and do computer work if
you’re composing something interesting. But beware: you’re 67
likely to make more mistakes and to become mentally saturat-
ed after a brief time. Variety is the key. Movement and innately
interesting activity work well, since they jolt you out of indiffer-
ence. Once out of your lethargy, you’ll be able to handle activi-
ties usually reserved for alert states.
When you’re in an energy trough, avoid meetings or calls
where your role is passive. They can be deadly to you. If you
have no choice, force yourself to participate and certainly take
notes. Such actions will help keep you sharp.
Avoid doing any one thing for longer than an hour and a
half. Alertness seems to fluctuate in 90-minute cycles. Beyond
90 minutes, alertness plummets.
Body rhythms seem genetically determined, but they can be
reprogrammed somewhat. Heavy food and carbohydrates (sug-
ars, especially) will plunge most people into sluggishness. Coffee
and soft drinks (health concerns aside) will briefly increase alert-
ness. A meal of lean protein energizes most people for hours. A
nap (a luxury rarely affordable in our culture) can snap a person
out of the doldrums. Usually 30 to 40 minutes is enough.
Crossing time zones wreaks havoc on internal body clocks.
It takes about one day per time zone crossed to fully readjust. In
the meantime, your body will try to honor both time zones. (A
good trick is to get plenty of outdoor light in the afternoon and
early evening. The body takes its temporal clues from sunlight.)
Physical performance peaks in the afternoon and early
evening. If you need to remember something for a very long
time, study it in the afternoon. Mornings favor short-term mem-
ory. Your senses become sharpest in the late afternoon and
early evening. Mid-afternoon is the best time to do uncomplicat-
ed or repetitive chores.