High-energy vs. low-energy

Brian LaManna shares a key productivity tip: align tasks with your energy levels.

• High-energy tasks: Do these when you feel most energetic.

  • Examples: Cold calling, running demos, and prospecting.

• Low-energy tasks: Save these for when you're tired.

  • Examples: Meeting follow-ups, admin work, and internal meetings.

Brian suggests that people aren't productive for a full 8-hour workday. Instead, they should match tasks to their energy levels:

• High-energy times: Morning and mid-afternoon.

• Low-energy times: Right after lunch and late afternoon.

He recommends doing challenging tasks during high-energy periods and easier tasks when energy is low. Everyone's energy levels and task demands are different, so it's important to spend 15 minutes planning your day accordingly.

Discover your superhero hours

Amber Deibert’s tips to help you work smarter by using your "Superhero Hours":

• Identify your superhero hours: Find the times of day when you feel most focused and energetic. This is when you should tackle your most important tasks.

• Avoid morning wastage: Don't spend your productive morning hours on low-level tasks like emails. Save these for later in the day.

• Plan around energy peaks: Most people have a natural energy peak in the mid-morning. Use this time for high-value work.

• Understand your rhythms: Knowing your circadian rhythms can give you an edge. Align your work with your natural highs and lows.

• Strategize with free time: By working during your peak hours, you free up your afternoons for strategic thinking and planning.

• Focus on high-value activities: Concentrating on important tasks during peak hours can help close more deals.

Find your peak performance

Mats Uddenfeldt believed working over 60 hours a week was essential for success.

However, an experience in Japan taught him otherwise. While hiking, he took a shortcut to catch up with colleagues, realizing that sometimes pushing hard is necessary, but it comes with a cost.

Mats emphasizes the concept of 'smart laziness' to manage resources efficiently:

• Rethink success: Focus on the value produced, not hours worked. Use shortcuts and automation for efficiency.

• Know your limits: Productivity drops after 50 hours a week; working beyond 55 is often ineffective.

• Optimize routine: Align work with peak performance times and use time boxing for critical tasks.

• Take breaks: Work in focused bursts with regular breaks, like using the Pomodoro method.

• Release guilt: Allow time to recharge and use smart laziness to enhance productivity.

Like elite athletes, you need 'off days' to perform at your best. Consider these strategies to improve your work-life balance.

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