Optimizing Work Schedules

The most underrated productivity hack isn’t what you do it’s when you do it. Here’s a simple framework to align your schedule with your biology and get more done with less effort. First, forget the to do list start with a when to do list. Because research shows that we don’t feel or perform the same throughout the day. We move through a predictable pattern: Peak → Trough → Recovery And lining up your task to match that pattern is a game-changer. During the PEAK (usually mornings for 80% of people), your brain is most vigilant. It’s the best time for: Writing Data analysis Strategic thinking Any work that requires brainpower and precision. During the TROUGH (early to mid afternoon), your energy dips. Mistakes go up and productivity nose dives. It’s the best time for: Routine email Scheduling Admin work This is the time to take it easy by design. During the RECOVERY (late afternoon into early evening), your mood improves, but your focus is looser. That looseness makes this the best time for: Problem solving Creative work Conversations What if you're a night owl? Good news: you still have a pattern it’s just shifted later. Peak focus might hit at 6PM. Creative bursts might arrive at midnight. This isn’t about working harder. It’s about working smarter on your body’s schedule. If you know your when, you’ll get better at your what.

How I get more sh*t done before you have your AM coffee It's not working longer hours. It's brain science. People ask how I maintain such high output While staying calm. The secret? I sync my work to my brain's natural peaks. Science says the 52/17 rule is golden for peak performance. Your brain needs strategic breaks to maintain high output. To ensure those cognitive circuits... Are firing like a Formula 1 engine... You need to work with your natural rhythm. Here's how to hack your 12 peak performance windows: 1/ Morning Power Hour ↳ Cortisol peaks an hour after waking ↳ Schedule your hardest task then 2/ Attention Architecture ↳ The brain processes complex data better before noon ↳ Front-load strategic work before lunch 3/ Energy Management ↳ ATP (brain fuel) peaks in 52-minute cycles ↳ Use a timer for focused sprints 4/ Decision Windows ↳ Decision fatigue sets in after 3-4 hours ↳ Make key choices before 11am 5/ Creative Peaks ↳ Alpha brain waves surge during breaks ↳ Take 17-minute recharge periods 6/ Memory Optimization ↳ Information retention peaks in the morning (for me) ↳ Schedule learning during this window 7/ Communication Sweet Spots ↳ Social processing peaks mid-morning ↳ Book important meetings 10-11am 8/ Focus Enhancement ↳ Deep work capacity maxes at 4 hours daily ↳ Split into 2 x 2-hour blocks 9/ Recovery Rhythms ↳ The 2:55pm slump is biological ↳ Schedule light tasks for this time 10/ Evening Clarity ↳ Beta waves increase around 4-6pm ↳ Use this time for planning 11/ Temperature Timing ↳ Brain temp peaks impact cognitive performance ↳ Match complex work to your body temp peak 12/ Sleep Alignment ↳ REM sleep preps the brain for peak hours ↳ Protect your last 3 pre-sleep hours Remember: Your brain needs consistent timing. Small adjustments to your schedule Create massive performance gains. Which one will you try first? ------------------------------------------------- ♻️ Share to help others upgrade their performance ➕ Follow Shannon for science-backed productivity tips

You may not hear this often, but... Don’t confuse movement with progress. A structured approach is key to maintaining productivity. ↓ Go through this guide and discover how you can establish a core baseline and structure: 1. Define Your Core Work Structure ↳ Set Clear Goals: - Short-term Goals: Identify what you want to achieve daily or weekly. - Long-term Goals: Outline your objectives for the month, quarter, or year. ↳ Create a Routine: - Work Hours: Establish consistent work hours that align with your peak productivity times. - Breaks: Schedule regular breaks to recharge, such as the Pomodoro Technique (25 minutes of focused work followed by a 5-minute break). ↳ Prioritize Tasks: - Eisenhower Matrix: Use this tool to categorize tasks into four quadrants based on urgency and importance. - Daily To-Do Lists: Start each day with a prioritized list of tasks to keep you focused. 2. Optimize Your Work Environment ↳ Designate a Workspace: - Dedicated Area: Create a specific area for work that minimizes distractions. - Ergonomics: Ensure your workspace is comfortable and conducive to productivity. ↳ Limit Distractions: - Digital Tools: Use apps like Freedom or Focus[at]Will to block distracting websites and maintain concentration. - Notifications: Silence non-essential notifications during work hours. 3. Establish When You Work ↳ Identify Your Peak Productivity Times: - Self-Assessment: Track your energy levels throughout the day to determine when you are most productive. - Flexible Hours: If possible, adjust your schedule to align with these peak times. ↳ Implement Time Management Techniques: - Time Blocking: Allocate specific blocks of time for different tasks or projects. - Batch Processing: Group similar tasks together to improve efficiency. 4. Incorporate Activities Outside of Work ↳ Schedule Downtime: - Relaxation Activities: Include hobbies, reading, or leisure activities in your schedule to recharge. - Social Interaction: Plan regular catch-ups with friends or family to maintain social connections. ↳ Physical Activity: - Exercise Routine: Incorporate regular physical activity into your week, whether it’s gym sessions, yoga, or walking. - Mindfulness Practices: Consider meditation or mindfulness exercises to reduce stress and improve focus. 5. Regularly Review and Adjust ↳ Reflect on Your Progress: - Weekly Reviews: Spend time each week reviewing what worked well and what didn’t. - Adjust Goals: Be flexible in adjusting your goals and routines based on your reflections. ↳ Seek Feedback: - Peer Input: Engage with colleagues or mentors for feedback on your productivity strategies. - Self-Evaluation: Regularly assess your own performance and make necessary changes. Focus on creating a structure that works for you. You'll notice how quickly your productivity improves. Don’t confuse movement with progress. In one sentence, what does productivity means to you?

⏰ Time Freedom: Take Control of Your Schedule ⏰ Feeling like there just aren't enough hours in the day?  You're not alone. We all have the same 24 hours in a day so we can’t get more time but we can take control of the time we have. 🔹 Prioritize Activities: Not all activities are created equal. Identify the 20% that drive 80% of your results. Focus there first. Use frameworks like the Eisenhower Matrix to categorize tasks by urgency and importance. 🔹 Time Blocking: Allocate specific blocks of time for different activities throughout your day. This helps in maintaining focus and ensuring that all essential tasks are covered. Multitasking is a myth, group similar activities together to minimize context switching and boost efficiency. 🔹 Identify and Eliminate Time-Wasters: Identify activities that drain your time without adding value. Limit social media usage, and avoid unnecessary meetings. Use productivity tools to track where your time goes and make adjustments as needed. 🔹 Delegate or outsource:  Delegate tasks that others can handle. Consider outsourcing repetitive or non-core activities in your business. This frees up your time for higher-value work. 🔹 Set Boundaries:  Create clear boundaries between work and personal time. Communicate your availability to colleagues and stick to your schedule. This boosts productivity and ensures quality time for yourself and your loved ones. It's okay to decline requests that don't align with your priorities. Bonus Tip: Schedule time for rest and self-care. A well-rested and rejuvenated you is a more productive you! By implementing these strategies, you can reclaim control of your schedule and achieve Time Freedom. What are your favorite time management hacks? #timemanagement #productivity #efficiency #worklifebalance

Failing Up with Time Management & Context Switching How many of you have said to yourself: "I spent my whole day in meetings...when am I supposed to get any work done???" Time is your most valuable asset, and like it or not, your job likely requires a commitment to team meetings, 1:1s, huddles/working sessions, etc. The reality is, there's always going to feel like you have more work to do than time to do it. I've f'ed up by leaving an organization and thinking that my next role would allow me to have more time to get things done. It didn't turn out that way, and there was nobody to blame besides myself and my time management skills. I eventually realized that my biggest issue was context switching. I'd jump from meeting, to work on a project, to answer slack/emails, back into meetings. Sure, I was moving 10-15 projects forward incrementally. But I wasn't making the right type of progress since I wasn't allowing myself enough time to truly focus. What I eventually settled into was a schedule where I'd load my mornings with necessary meetings ("necessary" being the key word there). And my afternoons were blocked off for dedicated focus on specific marketing disciplines. Here's an approach that worked for me, but could be applied to any role, in any function, within any industry: Monday: Weekly Alignment Meetings & Campaign Building Tuesday: Events & Field Mktg Wednesday: RevOps Thursday: Product Mktg Friday: Thought Leadership/Content & Campaign Launches Those focus periods each day allowed me to increase my productivity, and also helped me say no to projects that didn't fit into one of my categories. Not sure where to get started? Try a short time study: Audit your schedule for 1-2 weeks. Categorize your meetings and working blocks throughout your day. Take a look at where you're spending your time, and determine if it aligns with your key priorities and objectives. Then organize your schedule in a way that can dedicate an appropriate amount of time each day/week to appropriate projects.

No matter what your 2025 goals are, there’s one thing that you should do at the start of the year if you want to be productive… Clean up your calendar!! 📅 If you don’t have control over your calendar, it’s nearly impossible to have control over your work and, therefore, your objectives. I am a firm believer that, even as a busy exec, you should have a good chunk of your week that is open by default. You need to have spare capacity built into your working system. For example, if an unexpected, exciting initiative comes up, you need to have the freedom to dedicate a couple of hours to it — otherwise it’ll get pushed down the road, and never get done. Similarly if a huge fire appears - you need to be able to dedicate some time ASAP to try to fix it. Over time, calendars naturally fill up — leaving you with less and less available hours — and it’s therefore important to regularly revisit your calendar, assess the lay of the land and restructure your week. Everyone is different - but the ideal end state for me is having a big chunk of free time every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. That way I always know that I can work on something within ~24hrs if I need to. To help me get there - here are four things I do: 1. DELETE SOME MEETINGS ENTIRELY This can be difficult but usually I have at least 1 or 2 meetings that can be cut completely. Be considered but ruthless here — it’s amazing how often other people will be thrilled to have the meeting cancelled. 2. REDUCE THE CADENCE OF SOME MEETING It can be easy to settle into a routine of weekly calls, but are they always necessary? Review your recurring meetings and identify those that could be less frequent. Instead of meeting every week, consider switching to fortnightly meetings (or move from fortnightly to monthly). You can supplement this with email/Loom/Slack updates in between if useful. 3. SHORTEN MEETINGS If you can shorten 4 weekly calls by 15 minutes at the start of the year, you’ve bought yourself an extra hour per week, or ~48 hours over the year. That's a whole extra week of work 🤯 4. CLUSTER MEETINGS This approach is often overlooked. If you’re unable to cut or shorten meetings, spend time re-working your schedule so that your meetings are all bunched together. You’ll suddenly see big patches of daylight appear in your calendar — in which you can do deep, focused work without constantly having to interrupt your flow to hop on a Zoom call. Calendar hygiene may seem super simple and obvious to some, but it’s amazing how many people neglect to do it and lose control of their weeks, months and, ultimately, years. This is some that I try to tidy up every 6 months or so as calendars naturally evolve to be messy. If you have any other top tips for calendar management, let me know! 👂

Most people spend 80% of their time on the wrong type of work. (here's how to fix it): I discovered there are 4 types of professional time—and the balance between them determines whether you're stuck in place or building something extraordinary. For years, I was drowning in meetings, calls, and emails. Busy all day but never making real progress. Then I mapped out where my time actually went. The 4 types: Management Time (Red): Meetings, emails, presentations. The stuff that fills most calendars. Creation Time (Green): Writing, building, coding. Where actual work gets done. Consumption Time (Blue): Reading, learning, listening. Where new ideas are planted. Ideation Time (Yellow): Thinking, journaling, walking. Where breakthroughs happen. Here's the reality check: Color code your calendar for one week. Most people discover 80% is red—pure management time bleeding across every day. Creation gets squeezed into tiny gaps. Consumption and ideation? Basically non-existent. This is why you feel stuck. The activities that create 10x outcomes: creation, consumption, and ideation, get zero dedicated space. Here are three fixes that changed everything for me: 1. Batch Management Time Create 1-3 blocks daily for emails and meetings. Keep the red contained instead of letting it spread like wildfire. 2. Protect Creation Time Block it on your calendar. Turn off notifications. This is where your best work happens. 3. Schedule Consumption & Ideation Start with one hour weekly for each. History's most successful people all made space for reading and thinking. There's a reason. The truth? Your calendar reveals your future. If it's all management, you'll manage. If you make space for creation and thinking, you'll build. Watch the full breakdown to optimize your professional time.

Most of us live by our calendars. Don’t let it control you—take control of it through intentional time blocking to ensure you have time to accomplish your most important strategic objectives. ✅ Block 1-2 hours of focus time each day when YOU are most productive for strategic thinking, not reactive tasks like email. ✅ When you have a big project, estimate the time it will take you to complete it and proactively time block your calendar accordingly, naming the blocks with the project you need to work on during that specific time. ✅ Consider advocating for your team / organization to implement a “no meeting day” to tackle deep, strategic work without distractions. ✅ Schedule meetings to be 25, 45 or 55 minutes instead of standard half hour and full hour meetings to allow for mini-breaks (yes, they’re just as important as meetings). Think of your calendar as an investment portfolio: Allocate your hours where they’ll bring the biggest return. How do you protect time for your most important work? #TimeManagement #Leadership #WorkHacks