Ever noticed how you are more productive at certain times of the day? You can have the same task in front of you and depending on the time of day, you will find it easier (or harder) to do.
It might be different for you, but just about everyone I talk to about this – agrees that they find this to be true for them too.
To give you an example: I have a hard time writing creatively (like blog posts or other pieces of content) for the first half of the day. I used to always blame it on being a night owl or not functioning so well before a good cup of coffee, but after some research and self-observation, I think I have learned to deal with this “weakness” of mine.
The Solution?
Instead of torturing myself in the mornings with tasks that don’t come naturally, I have started to not worry about them and rather focus on more “mindless” tasks. Like doing graphic work in Photoshop, proof reading a piece of content I wrote the night before, catching up with news, or even doing simple day to day tasks (like picking up groceries, doing laundry, etc).
As the sun goes down and the world around me gets quiet, my creative juices kick in and I start crunching out content that requires me to concentrate, or respond to customer emails, or just about anything else that requires me to use my thinking cap.
I sometimes wonder if I suffer from an attention deficit disorder (ADD) which prevents me from focusing in the first half of the day. As the sun goes down and my body begins to get tired, I finally get to a point where my mind is able to focus better. No idea if there is any validity to that thought, but until proven otherwise, I will humor myself with it. 😀
My wife is the complete opposite: she gets up and starts crunching out content like there is no tomorrow. Come evening time – she shuts down and reserves to reading, watching the Amazing Race, or some other mindless work.
Conclusion
First, there is no right or wrong order to be doing things in. I know some experts claim you should do one set of tasks first while another claims the opposite. In my experience, this is going to be different for everyone.
So experiment. See what works best for you at what time, etc. Then embrace that. The order you do things in barely matters. The only thing that truly matters is: Progress.
What time of day do you function best? Any insights or experiences you can share in this regard?