Ultimate Productivity Hack — Know Your Biological Prime Time
And drastically reduce stress in the process
In 2008, Sam Carpenter coined a seemingly simple yet extremely useful concept.
A concept called “Biological Prime Time” that’s key to understanding and hacking your productivity rhythm.
Maybe regular productivity tricks don’t work on you. This concept can explain why and how you can change that.
Because this concept can explain why you feel focused at a specific time of the day but not 24/7. That specific time doesn't have to be the same for everyone.
What is Biological Prime Time?
Author Sam Carpenter first mentioned this concept in his book “Work the System.”
Your biological prime time is the period of time when you are most focused and energized.
For example, you may be your most productive self after 10 PM at night till 2 AM in the morning.
That is your Biological Prime Time.
The science behind Biological Prime Time
Sleep researcher Nathaniel Kleitman discovered the ultradian rhythms that explain Biological Prime Time.
The rhythms are also known as Basic Rest Activity Cycle. These are 90-minute periods of high-frequency brain activity that are followed by a 20-minute low frequency activity.
Interestingly, they keep on repeating.
That means- our brains can work for a limited period of time at high intensity. After that, we will be pushing our brains beyond limit that’d lead to stress, fatigue and long term loss of productivity. But if we manage the rest well, we can take advantage of another productive hour (or 90 minutes).
Why you should find your Biological Prime Time
Our body’s ultradian rhythms are cycles that repeat multiple times throughout a full day.
During those repeated cycles, we experience focus peaks and sluggish dips- that makes us feel sleepy and makes it hard to concentrate.
If you find your own Biological Prime Time, you can-
- Schedule difficult and important activities during prime time
- Plan small breaks after that to keep your brain rested
- Achieve more without feeling the additional stress and fatigue
How to find your Biological Prime Time
The good news is that you can find that without any complex calculation or expensive machinery.
It’ll just take some systematic observation.
- Track using a document: Every hour, for three weeks at least, write down how energetic and focused you feel. Mention if you could get high intensity activities during that hour. This might confirm some things you already know. Like a sluggish hour after lunch.
- Avoid simulants during this time: You shouldn’t go for any mood or productivity boosters like coffee during these three weeks. They artificially increase focus and energy level and will ruin your data.
- Check for patterns after three weeks: Find if the peak is happening at same time of the day, and if it’s connected to your food pattern or sleep cycle. Based on these findings, earmark peak hours in your calendar and then you can plan accordingly
Final thoughts
Understanding your Biological Prime Time will empower you beyond your imagination.
You will also see that not all peaks are the same. Some will come with lower energy levels.
You can then add simulants like coffee selectively to either further enhance your peak hours or supplement (lesser) peaks.
Most importantly, you will be closer to your most productive self.
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Source:
- https://blog.trello.com/biological-prime-time-method
- https://dansilvestre.com/ultradian-rhythm/amp/
