I’ve been reading the book “When” by Daniel Pink, and it has been blowing my mind a little bit. I’m mostly surprised that more people aren’t talking about this book.
The essential premise is that the most often-ignored element of the “who-what-when-where-how” of how we approach things like decision-making, will-power, and excellence, is the “when”. And yet, there are clear patterns to how the “when” is important.
I won’t give all the secrets away, in case you want to read the book yourself, but there’s one really important topic I think is of import to authors.
He says, “Our cognitive abilities do not remain static over the course of a day. During the sixteen or so hours we’re awake, they [the cognitive abilities] change–often in a regular, foreseeable manner. We are smarter, faster, dimmer, slower, more creative, and less creative in some parts of our day, more than others.”
Not only are there consistent patterns, but the level of fluctuation is so significant, Pink quotes one study that says the daily “high” and the daily “low” can be “equivalent to the effect on performance of drinking the legal limit of alcohol.” (!!)
The difference between our cognitive high and our cognitive low (in terms of “when” we work) can be so drastic, its patterns are similar to the difference between drunk and sober.
That is CRAZY.
For tasks that require extreme focus, and tasks that require extreme creativity, Pink suggests that the WHEN is perhaps the most important factor to consider. More so than HOW, and more so than even WHY…. is WHEN.
When our minds are the most vigilant, and when our minds are at their best, we need to use that time to be creative and focused.
Some factors to take into consideration when you’re determining your own “best” productive time:
- 1) Food / Blood Sugar – It should be no surprise that when you’ve had protein, fat, and fiber for a meal (low in carbohydrates that spike blood sugar), your brain is at its best, just following that meal. So if you only control one meal, control the meal before your “best” time. (For MOST of us, this “best time” will be in the morning… and again, I know a lot of people want to argue with me about being morning people or not… I do not mean “hyper early” in the morning. I just mean, in the morning, when you wake up and are unfogged. But according to Pink’s research, the statistical regularity is “morning”, and very few people are “evening”. Interestingly, NO ONE was afternoon. 🙂)
- 2) Hydration – It should also be no surprise that our best brain function happens when our blood vessels are at their most hydrated point. Drinking two glasses of water right away in the morning can help this. And of course, drinking water (not coffee or tea) throughout the day increases hydration status and (unsurprisingly) productivity.
- 3) Willpower is a limited resource – We do not have unlimited supplies of willpower. Think of your ability to “hold out” or “force yourself” to do things as a gas tank. Each day, you drain the tank at different rates. Some days, your tank is completely drained by mid-morning, and then the afternoon is going to be a caffeine-laced, carb-induced slog. The best way to conserve willpower is to decide which battles are worth fighting and which ones aren’t. (Or to apply what we call in WBF, a “BigWig” approach, where you’re just focusing in on one or two areas and letting everything else be ruled by life inertia.) Willpower is something more like a muscle, though. The more you intentionally work to the capacity, you will get a bigger capacity. But you have to keep using it. Work it out.
If you want to know more about “When”, definitely pick up the book. (Just a warning that all Amazon links are affiliate links.) It was fascinating to read and I’m hoping to incorporate more about this as I utilize it more in my coaching. Brilliant research.
What are your thoughts about this? Does it impact any decisions you’re making?