Patterns in Productivity

Opportunities to be in the zone, to catch a surge of productivity or happen upon a rush of clarity and inspiration - there is a timing to it that cycles, a rhythm all your own. 

Whether it manifests in bursts of creativity or efficient and effective task execution, productivity is the success of work - the evident and measurable results of focused effort.   When that productivity flows without barriers, interruptions or strain, it is exciting and inspiring, even for spectators. 

Naturally occurring patterns in the academic and professional productivity of people stem from rhythms hidden in biology and environmental mechanics. 

A brain is subject to the physical state of the body, therefore tapping into the rhythms of the body’s internal clockwork to bring efforts and expectations in sync with it can vastly improve productivity and morale. The flexibility in scheduling and time usage that homeschooling affords, is a powerful advantage in the learning process. Utilizing peak performance hours and work rhythms harmonizes each individual’s efforts with their natural patterns in productivity.  The self-awareness and strategy this hones, will make them more effective and efficient in college, career or any objective. 

Peak Performance Hours

Attention, clarity of thought, ability to remember - these are essential raw materials in academic or intellectual productivity.  The supply of them, however, is not constant in quantity or quality. In each individual there is an orchestra of internal activity that operates in cycles, drawing energy or stimulating underlying mental activity at different times that directly affects conscious intellectual operations.  In other words, our bodies are very busy being alive with maintenance schedules that affect how well our brains work. The timing and synchronization of these cycles is unique to each person and directly affect peak performance hours - an individual’s most alert and highly functional hours in a day.  

Circadian rhythms tend to be the most obvious cycles, recurring every 24 hours with the rhythmic shifts in the environment.  Children do not encounter many circumstances that reveal the extent of affect that circadian rhythms have, but taking from the research on adults, it becomes more apparent.  When jet lag or working second or third shift necessitates a reset of circadian rhythms, some people adapt better or quicker than others, indicating different intensities individuals may be dealing with.  It also brings to the surface evidence that not only sleep patterns are affected; hormone releases, temperature regulation, appetite and digestion are among the many other processes that require a reset too.  All this can significantly affect emotional states and cognitive function.  

As parents, finding the peak performance hours of each child involves a consideration of not only sleep-wake patterns, but also circadian rhythms.  There are those who are brilliant with the sunrise and sipping thoughts slowly come evening. There are those whose brain cells are still turning on one at a time in the late morning, yet flourish in the quiet of night. There are those who steadily unfurl to blaze with the midday  and just as steadily retreat before the depth of night.  To optimize productivity for any of these: 

#1   Schedule the most important or focus-requisite tasks at peak performance hours. 

*Important caveats when identifying and working with night owls:  Since evening and night hours are typically the time for relaxation or recreation, most children and young adults in particular, prefer staying up late and sleeping in.  Few are truly night owls; they are just aware of social norms and trying to make the most of it (and why wouldn’t they?).  Some people work best at night purely because that is the only time when they can find the quiet stillness they need to focus.  If they could find it during the day, they may actually be far more productive in the morning or afternoon. 

A true night owl is more vibrant and mentally active late in the day even if they did not sleep in any later than anyone else.  Sometimes it is just not feasible to have a child working on their school work at night, especially since they likely lack that level of self-discipline and require active teaching or at least occasional input.  They can still be quite productive before the sun is down.  Scheduling less challenging and more enjoyable tasks earlier in the day can help them rev up with a positive mindset.  Play around with times that can work for both parent and child, before and after dinner, that can optimize their late-lights mental acuity and best supports their developing self-discipline.  Repetitive success is important in the development of their self-image and ongoing strategies for their independent study habits..

Work to a Rhythm

Smaller cycles of energy ebb and flow throughout the day as a variety of ultradian rhythms play out.   The natural flow of these cycles can be used to time activities best suited to each phase, allowing intellectual productivity to flow more naturally. 

Ultradian rhythms are harmonics to circadian rhythms with a periodicity less than 24 hours. One of the most strategically useful of them is the Basic Rest-Activity Cycle (BRAC).  First observed in the EEG patterns of sleep cycles, BRAC alternates between roughly 90 minutes of high-voltage slow activity followed by 20 minutes of low-voltage fast activity (the REM phase of sleep where dreams likely occur).  A full cycle lasts 50-60 minutes in infants, progressing with age to 80-120 minutes in adults (note the span of variation - it matters when planning). In waking hours, this cycle appears to be reversed with approximately 90 minutes of lively mental activity and focus potential followed by 20 minutes of mild and mellow processing.

#2 Harmonize efforts and expectations with cognitive activity cycles.

This creates a natural rise and fall in noticeable productivity, however understanding how to ride the waves is key to making the entire experience work for you.  As with surfing, every part of that wave is important.  The initial energy of engaging with a task builds into productive efficiency.  Eventually that productive efficiency declines.  Rebuilding energy, squaring away clutters of thought and clearing chemical by-products from thought-intensive phases ensue.  Trying to push productivity through these phases usually results in mental fatigue and either lapsing attention or ineffective attention - getting nowhere fast.  These rest periods, however, bring practical and dynamic value.

Catching a wave doesn’t take long.  When starting in a lull, get ready. Waking cognitive rest periods are short. When you see it coming, start paddling, and when the surge starts carrying you, pop up and trim.  Scope out conditions, get objectives in sight, and get the morale and blood pumping.  As parents, finding that rhythm in someone else can be tricky, but the more intentional we are, the more our sense of timing develops.  

Zoom In/Out Rounds

If the focus is already there, find the best line and go for it.  Set a time to zoom in for intensive productivity or information absorption. Then zoom out for perspective and analysis. Purpose dictates style when it comes to these zoom in/out rounds. 

Study-Activate Rounds

When information absorption and application are the objective, the initial zoom in may be pretty classic: read, answer questions, execute directives, annotate, research, run through flashcards, take notes, recite processes and terminologies, knock out whatever methodology is on the docket.

Then zoom out for an activation phase.  Step away from it all.  Begin a passive physical activity while actively recalling, theoretically applying and expounding upon the material studied.  The full-body activation paired with the working-memory activation, floods the mind with nutrients and stimulation that facilitates encoding.  Pace while squeezing a stress ball and orally recall important points.  Stretch while considering big picture implications.   Do push-ups while creating new connections, melding concepts, or making obscure comparisons.  A brief activation phase can solidify ten times the study-intensive work.  

Detail-Align Rounds

When developing a skill or creating are the objective, zoom in on the details: technique, spacing, timing, degree of intensity, all manners of precision, deconstruct and examine elements.  Break out the mirrors, recording or magnifying instruments.  Execute drills and sharpen senses.

Then zoom out far a brief alignment phase.  Step back and take in the big-picture, the full-scope of the project in relation to your overall goal.  Does it capture the feel, purpose, dimension and dynamic intended.  Is there continuity and flow, balance and functionality.  Mess with conditions to test the integrity: try slow-motion or speed it up, take a different angle, apply pressure, can someone else use, see or understand it, etc.  Experience and analyze the sensation, the art and the performance. These big-picture samples need only be brief to bring precision work into alignment with the broad spectrum application.

For some, this is a stopping point.  For others, it is round one.    After one to three rounds, when the mind seems to be shifting to a rest period, children need playful, creative, daydreaming freedom, outdoor time or healthy little “rewards” for the quality work.  Big people do too, but if that is not an option, it is an excellent time for low-pressure strategizing, Q & A sessions with other kids or a bit of music while squaring away logistics. A mind can stretch a little in the unpressured space and better process and organize that mass of information it was just handling.

"Taking a break can lead to breakthroughs." -Russel Eric Dobda, software engineer

Rhythm is timing.  Timing is in the numbers.   It is a type of math that can be sensed and played with, anticipated and syncopated.  If children are cycling active/rest around 40/15 - 60/20 minutes, then breaking active phases into zoom-in/zoom-out rounds could be 15/5, 15/5, 15 break or 25/5, 25/5, 20 break.  Teens may be the most productive just adding another round before a break, or they may focus for longer spurts (40/5, 40/5, 25 break).  Depending on the difficulty of a subject and attention span of the student, the optimal number of zoom-in/zoom-out rounds and their length vary, so play with the possibilities.  Play with the math.

People usually need to zoom out at least once mid-cycle before the final wrap-up, however there are those who can zoom in for the full span of heightened cognitive activity.  For those marathon students, it is helpful to set a timer for a brief activation session before the cognitive rest period.  This ensures the most effective solidification of all that learning before mental fatigue sets in.  When someone is really in the zone, however, feel free to hit the snooze button on that timer.  As the wave pans out and the speed and inspiration sink, jumping into activation mode can maintain alertness during wrap-up    Before a break, jot down place markers and next steps for ongoing projects to boost later productivity. 

Working with the rhythms or timing that naturally enhance productivity can significantly decrease stress and increase motivation for all involved.  Minimizing distractions, using the right fuel (eating for energy), and incorporating physical activity to keep nutrients pumping through the brain are all simple logistics that also foster higher productivity.  We each have an internal orchestra of factors that can enhance or encumber our cognitive processing and academic productivity.  Understanding the basic clockwork that modulates it all can help us bring our efforts in sync with these natural rhythms and cultivate a lifestyle of personal awareness and strategic productivity.

The music of nature courses through us.  When we are in rhythm, it is easier to be in the zone.

-S. E. Bocker

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