How To Tune In To Your Natural Focus Rhythm
It’s Not Rocket Science.
Whether you’re a creative entrepreneur, freelancer, or a nine-to-five sort of worker, everyone needs an efficient method for managing their day, especially if working remotely.
Most of us simply try to progress through our workday from beginning to end without a time structure, hoping to achieve those tasks we need to get to. However, doing it this way is definitely not an adequate way to finish your day off feeling content & accomplished.
Pushing through when you’re feeling overwhelmed with tasks is as unproductive as it can get and too many times this lack of mental organization results in fatigue or, ultimately, burnout.
This is where time blocking & ultradian rhythms come in —
Time blocking is a time management technique where you block off chunks of time during your workday to accomplish tasks. Pretty simple.
Ultradian rhythm is a bit more scientific than that.
The human body operates on recurring cycles throughout the 24h day period called “ultradian rhythms”. During these natural cycles, there is a focus peak when we are most energized and a trough when we start losing focus.
Examples of our body naturally utilizing these cycles include heartbeat, digestion, and the varying stages we go through during sleep.
When it comes to productivity, which is achieved through a good dose of focus, there is a specific ultradian rhythm known as the Basic Rest-Activity Cycle (BRAC).
It’s a rhythm that plays out in 90–120 minute cycles non-stop, day and night, just like shown in the diagram above. During the night it’s noticed in the form of REM — when we move from non-REM sleep to REM sleep various times throughout the night.
Tuning in to the ultradian rhythm isn’t a lifehack or anything, it literally is the natural way our body deals with energy, both throughout the day and night. Since learning of this natural cycle and taking advantage of it, my workdays have become extremely productive.
Time Block 90-Minute Focus Sessions & Activate A State of Flow
When used together, time blocking and ultradian rhythms are all about optimizing your internal body clock for maximum efficiency.
- For 90 minutes, you are in a state of alertness, focus, creativity, and mental stamina.
- After that, for a period of about 20 minutes, your body needs to re-energize through rest.
Try this time management technique if you…
- Struggle to find the time and mental space for creative thinking
- Are easily interrupted throughout your workday
- Spend too much time juggling between social media platforms
- Have many different projects/responsibilities in one day
Before you begin —
90-min focus sessions, with 20–30 minute breaks in between, are much easier when you have a clear set of tasks for the day. The ideal start of the day, I found, begins with a calm morning away from the phone and a short brain-dumping routine for prioritizing tasks.
Reclaim your workday schedule
- Start your day off away from your phone. Meditate, read a magazine, drink some tea or simply watch the birds outside. Wear comfortable clothes that fit your remote workspace. If you’re working from home, keep the cozy pajamas for nighttime, will you? A fulfilling breakfast would be smart too.
2. Before you start your 90-min focus session, organize your workspace.
“Clutter is nothing more than postponed decisions.” — Barbara Hemphill
In Feng Shui, clutter represents the inability to move forward, so if your workspace environment is messy, invest some time first in reorganizing your space. Keep it minimal — it’ll revitalize your life! 😇
3. Check your email and messaging apps so that they don’t steal concentration away from you during your focus sessions.
4. Find your ultimate focus-enhancing playlist, set a timer for 90 minutes, and get to your task list! If you’re finding it hard to organize and prioritize a task list beforehand, you should declutter your mind first. This quick brain-dumping routine can be extremely helpful.
5. When the timer goes off, stop what you’re doing. Take a 20–30 minute rest from work — it can be in the form of a stroll outside, coming back to that magazine you read in the morning, checking up on unread messages, or simply sitting down away from the screen with another cup of tea contemplating the mysteries of life.
Note — it’s important to truly stop when the timer goes off. You know how easy it is to get sucked right back into the screen and realize you’ve been on a random YouTube streak for half an hour, don’t you? By working the proper way, you take advantage of the energy peaks and troughs that occur throughout your day and correlate maximum energy to your to-do list.
5. Repeat the 90/20 min focus sessions for however many times you need. I usually do 4 or 5 sessions, which add up to 6–7.5 hours of effective work time!
Note — Make sure you evaluate your task list throughout the day, to make sure you’re on track. You might want to re-prioritize certain tasks or realize you need to lengthen your day.
To help you visualize this better, I broke down my typical Monday workday routine as a freelancer (considering work like graphic design, writing, photo/video editing, and also administrative work).
And hey, it’s what I learned works best for me. After a few workdays where you’ve managed to go through 90 minutes of undisturbed work and felt that 20-minute essential rest, you can start figuring out your own optimal cycle lengths. Perhaps you start losing focus at 80 minutes in, or maybe you need 5 more minutes to rejuvenate.
Final Thoughts
“Shit, how did I get here?”
Don’t mix social with work. You know how social media platforms and subscription apps work — all those digital tools we use on a daily basis were created with the intention of the user spending the most amount of time on it by getting lost in content, so it’s no surprise they take our attention away.
We’re still capable of overriding these natural cycles—
but it’s not recommended. To quote Jim Loehr & Tony Schwartz, authors of the book The Power of Full Engagement —
We are capable of overriding these natural cycles, but only by summoning the fight or flight response and flooding our bodies with stress hormones that are designed to help us handle emergencies. The long-term cost is that toxins build up inside us. We can only push so hard for so long without breaking down and burning out.
Some days are busier than others.
If I don’t finish all I have set to do after the fourth focus session, I will either add another session if it is important enough or add the unfinished tasks for the day after.
It’s up to your own data to tweak this technique! After a while, you won’t need to set a timer each time and will eventually reach a point where you have become more aware of your body’s natural cycles. This isn’t only about being productive, it’s also a great way to getting to know yourself better.
Listen to focus-enhanced music.
Here’s our favorite playlist! 👇
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