When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel H. Pink
Summary
This book serves as a “When To” guide. It looks as the reasons for WHEN we do things…from our circadian rhythm to our body temperature and moods, Pink explains why we make the decisions when we do. After each chapter, he provides a short summary guide to help you apply the principles you’ve just read about. This makes the book both interesting and quite practical as it includes a set of tasks and takeaways for you! I decided to summarize my own takeaways which you’ll find below…
My personal Takeaways
You get to figure out if you are a morning person or a night owl - there’s a handy questionnaire included. This will help you pinpoint your optimal melatonin onset and bedtime. For me, I realized I am a moderate morning person and my melatonin onset is 9pm which means I should aim to be in bed by 11:15 pm. As I am trying to make better use of my mornings, I would want to shift my circadian rhythm a bit earlier. I can do this with some light therapy for 30 minutes per day by either enjoying the morning sun or investing in a 10k lux fluorescent light box.
How to organize your day - when should you do your tasks that require more analytical thinking? What about tasks focused on insights? For me, analytical tasks are best reserved for early mornings whereas insight focused tasks are better in the afternoon/early evenings. I should focus my most important tasks from morning to 1pm and then do my mundane tasks and chores in the evening.
When is a good time to make decisions? early to mid morning for me
To help me with writing my book, the best times are weekends from morning to 1pm
Exercise in the morning is also most favourable - preferably on an empty stomach
If you have To-Do lists, schedule your breaks as well. You have to list not just when you take these breaks, but how long they last and what you will do during those breaks in order to make the most of them.
When does your mood start to stagnate? Usually it is 7 hours after waking for morning people…
Naps are amazing - the best time to take them is between 2 pm and 3 pm. Invest in ear plugs and eye masks if that helps to make things peaceful. Drink a cup of coffee (approximately 200 mg caffeine) before your nap as it will take about 20-25 minutes for the caffeine to kick in and by this time you can power nap. Repeat and make this a habit and see how it affects your productivity.
Avoid false starts by imagining future problems and figuring out a plan of action to tackle those problems.
Use temporal landmarks (a point in time we think as a fresh start) to start new habits/projects. These include start of the work week, month, year, weekend, seasons, meaningful dates, new job, new life event etc.
There are some tips on how to improve your performance on your new job - I will write a separate post about this.
If you want to marry someone, it’s better to do it when both of you have finished your education…don’t wait too long and don’t rush. I have a lot to say about this topic and will also write a post on it
Motivation for projects:
Set interim goals
Publicly commit to these interim goals
Practice stopping your sentence midway through vs finishing a section
Mark your success on your calendar and put X…now use the visual stimulation of continuing the chain as you pursue to put the X on each day (Jerry Seinfeld uses this technique)
Picture one person that your work will help
Tips on a mid-life slump:
If you are having a hard time completing your goals then do this:
Write down your top 25 things you want to accomplish.
Now cross out all of them except the top 5
Focus on ONLY the top 5 and create a plan of action for those goals
Mentoring is beneficial to have throughout your career, not just when you are starting
Try to mentally subtract positive events
Write yourself a few paragraphs of self-compassion
I would recommend this book to
Anyone who is goal oriented
If you are curious about why certain decisions are made at certain times and perhaps which is better?
If you want a guide to help you achieve your goals
If you want some motivation for managing your time
You like learning