219 Reasons to Rethink Your Daily Routine
From morning habits to boosting productivity, here are the key takeaways from Dr. Stuart Farrimond’s latest book — The Science of Living
“Multitaskers are 40% less productive than serial taskers.”
— The Science of Living
I’ve just finished reading The Science of Living: 219 Reasons to Rethink Your Daily Routine by Dr. Stuart Farrimond. It’s unlike any other productivity book I’ve ever read as it looks at the science behind our daily habits and debunks long-held beliefs about what our daily routines should actually look like.
We all have a 3-hour peak productivity window every day. What we do and eat during our lunch break determines how productive we are in the afternoon. It’s in our DNA to want to sleep 2 x per day. There’s a simple solution to being the best and it’s staring right at us.
Essential reading if you’re sick of productivity hacks that don’t work and are looking for tips and tricks that have been scientifically shown to benefit your health and increase performance and productivity.
Off the back of reading this book, I’ve already made some changes to my daily routine that have produced great results. You can read more about my experiences at the end of this article, but for now, here are my key takeaways.
Morning Routine
The Majority of People Should Not Wake-Up Early
Just 14% of people are early risers (larks), naturally waking up before 6 am. 21% are late risers (night owls) waking up any time after 10 am. This leaves a massive 65% of people who fall somewhere in between.
There’s a good reason why we constantly hear that successful people rise early and that’s because the traditional 9–5 routine works in their favor. Waking before 6 am allows them to work undisturbed before the 86% of us who aren’t larks wake-up. If our traditional daily routine was actually 2 pm-10 pm then we’d suddenly see a huge rise in night owls being a lot more successful.
What’s the solution?
Don’t try to get up earlier (if you can avoid it) because when we work against our internal body clock it only puts more strain on our bodies. Night owls have shorter life expectancies and this is in large part because they have to adapt to a daily routine that doesn’t suit them. Instead, you should try to work with your body clock. Request flexible hours at work where possible. If you are self-employed then try to find a routine that works with you and not against you.
Never Hit the Snooze Button
Loud alarm clocks trigger the fight or flight response in our bodies, essentially plunging us into a state of fear. By resisting the temptation to get up and instead hitting the snooze button means that your body is stressed out every time your alarm goes off again. Over time this has a negative effect on health especially your heart as stress can clog blood vessels.
Set your alarm for the time you want to rise and get up as soon as your alarm goes off. Ideally, you don’t want to wake-up with a loud sound at all. Soft nature sounds, sunlight, and even rising naturally are all better options if you want to wake-up less stressed.
If You Must Check Your Phone On Waking
70% of people suffer from sleep inertia (brain lag) for 1–2 hours after waking. Essentially this means that:
- Our ability to make good decisions is 51% worse.
- We process information 70% slower than normal.
- Our reaction times are 360% slower.
For the 31% of people checking and responding to emails or doing banking at this time then stop as you are highly likely to miss important information or make a mistake.
Sleep inertia aside, we also shouldn’t be looking at to-do lists or reading the news as these can both trigger anxiety. If you can’t resist reaching for your phone in the morning then make sure you’re choosing something calming or creative that will put you in a good mood; writing down ideas, listening to music, meditation and mindfulness are all good options.
The Best Time to Drink Coffee
Do you reach for a caffeine fix as soon as you wake? You may as well be pouring it down the sink. Sleep inertia makes us think we need something to wake us up but as cortisol (an energizing hormone) starts to increase after waking, we naturally start to feel more alert anyway. You’ve then probably attributed your alertness to the caffeine when it was actually your bodies rising cortisol levels.
To reap the full benefits of a caffeine hit have a cup 2–4 hours after waking when adenosine (a naturally calming brain hormone) starts to kick in. If you need a boost first thing in the morning then the best thing you can do is get outside in the sun or do some gentle exercise.
An Optimal Work Commute
Commutes are often moaned about yet studies show that we prefer distance between our workplace and home life. 15 minutes has been found to be the ideal commuting time as it is long enough to draw a psychological line between home and work but not too long that it makes us bored, tired, or anxious.
More than 45-minutes and your commute is likely to take a toll on your physical and mental health. Driving tops out as the most stressful way to commute so, where possible, you should choose to walk, cycle or use public transport. The first two options will have a positive impact on your health and the latter will give you time to do something productive on your way to work and something relaxing on your way home.
Productivity
The Most Productive Time of the Day
Regardless of when you wake-up, you will always feel most productive around 2 hours after rising as this is when cortisol levels have peaked and sleep inertia has worn off. You will stay productive for about 2–3 hours so use this time for tasks that need your full concentration. Avoid social media, meetings, and repetitive tasks during this time.
Optimize Your Workspace
Personalized workspaces increase productivity by 30%; think plants, pleasing colors, and photographs. Very messy and super neat spaces are a hindrance and you want to aim for somewhere in between. A workspace that allows you to find things quickly and helps you think logically but not so ordered that it restricts creativity.
Background noise is typically good for productivity like a ticking clock or a distant radio. 50 decibels — the sound level of rain — is ideal.
Stop Multitasking
Multitaskers are 40% less productive than serial taskers (those who focus on one task fully before moving on). You are more likely to make mistakes when you multitask and the standard of your work is also likely to be lower. People who think they are good at multitasking have actually been shown to be the worst and this is due to the Dunning-Kruger effect.
Work Versus Rest
80 minutes is typically the maximum your brain can stay in concentration mode for. Try to switch off completely when taking breaks so your brain cells can rebuild their reserves for your next working stint.
Breaks are especially important for those working in creative industries as this is when you’ll come up with your best ideas. When not focusing on one thing your brain is in default mode network or ‘wandering’ which allows ideas to flow freely. Anxiety and stress prohibit creativity as this prevents your mind from reaching a flow state. If you’re stressed then working on a monotonous task can help to clear your mind.
“Writer’s block is a mental trap brought on by becoming anxious about a lack of creativity.”
The most important break in the day is your lunch break. Working through lunch or gobbling a sandwich at your desk while checking emails will cause your productivity to dip for 3 hours in the afternoon. Essentially, you may as well write-off the whole afternoon because you didn’t take a break.
Get away from your desk to reset your mind, recharge your brain, and stretch your legs. In the long-term, those who work through lunch are more likely to suffer from sleep problems, take more time off work due to illness, and suffer from emotional exhaustion.
To boost productivity in the afternoon then keep your lunch small. To help you digest food your body naturally releases a sleep-inducing hormone which allows all energy to then be diverted to your digestive system. The less you eat the less sleepy you will feel. Eat lunch at the start of your break and then try to get some sunlight to counteract the sleep hormone. Alternatively, have a 20-minute siesta (see below).
Sleep
You Should Be Sleeping Twice Per Day
The need to sleep every 6–8 hours is etched into our DNA. Many cultures have a traditional siesta in the afternoon but western Europe and the US seem to shun this idea. Consequently, these countries suffer from the most sleeping problems due to the enforced 9–5 working day which goes against our need to rest in the afternoon. If you can take a nap then make sure that it’s between 1–3 pm and that it’s the right length.
10–20 minutes is good for improving energy, mood, learning, and productivity.
60 minutes is not good because you won’t have enough time to complete 1 sleep cycle which means you’ll wake-up with inertia.
90 minutes is ideal to allow you to complete 1 sleep cycle and this will allow you to wake up feeling refreshed.
Bedtime Routine
A regular bedtime routine is the best way to signal to your body that it’s time to sleep. Mundane tasks that are done in a certain order such as brushing your teeth, putting your pajamas on, and setting your alarm clock will all help your body relax. A longer routine can help you wind down slowly if you typically struggle to sleep. Think about adding on meditation, journaling, or a bath for maximum relaxation.
Counting sheep is the worst thing you can do if you can’t sleep as it switches on the wrong part of your brain. You don’t want to associate your bed with feeling alert so if you can’t sleep then get out of bed and go to another room until you feel sleepy enough to go back to bed again. If you still can’t sleep after 20 minutes then leave the room again.
If You Want to Be The Best
Surround Yourself With People Who You Aspire to Be Like
Mirror neurons are a pathway of brain cells that reflect what you see in others and allow you to mimic them. For example, if you watch someone play guitar then you can learn from just observing. If you spend the day around people who have a different accent from yours then chances are you’ll start to speak like them too.
So if you want to be amazing at writing code then spend time around people who code. If you want to get fit then start hanging out with active people. The more time you spend with these people the more you’ll start mimicking their habits and behaviors. Find the people you want to be like and soon enough you’ll be just like them.
Final Thoughts
This is the first productivity book in years that I’ve actually put into action because so much of it works with our internal body clock rather than forcing us to be something we’re not, often at the expense of our health.
I’ve added a 20-minute nap to my afternoon for the last week and I’ve already seen a boost in my productivity in the afternoon. I’ve also personalized my work desk. Before it was literally just a table with my laptop on it and maybe a pen and paper. Now I’ve got a photo of my family on it and a pretty pink lamp. I wasn’t sure how personalization could boost productivity but I do see that because I’m happier when I’m at my desk now this has indirectly also given my productivity a boost.
There are more things I want to change but I’m doing it slowly so I can actually see whether they are benefiting me because I think that’s the most important thing when you make a change to your routine or habits — that you can actually tell if it works.
I hope you’ve found some useful tips in this article that you can apply to your own routine. Not everything works for everyone as we are all different but if you’ve struggled with productivity or time-management techniques before then some of the advice in this book may just be what you’ve been looking for.
All statistics, research, and quotes come directly from The Science of Living by Dr. Stuart Farrimond.
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