Three Kinds of Time

jarmoluk via Pixabay

Last week, as I contemplated getting back into the swing of things as the old year ended and the new year began, I decided that there are three kinds of time. There's peak time -- time when we're awake, alert and motivated. Then there's intermediate time -- we're awake, but alertness and/or motivation are lagging. Finally, there's down time, in which trying to accomplish anything is an uphill battle, at best.

Peak time is, understandably, the best time to get things done. When this occurs each day varies from person to person. (Even though I'm a night person, my best time is late morning and early afternoon). If we aim to be productive, peak time is the time we should protect and the time during which we should schedule our most taxing tasks.

From a productivity perspective, intermediate time holds a lot of promise. Even if concentration and/or motivation aren't at their best, plenty of tasks don't require peak concentration and motivation. Routine household and organizing tasks, for example, like emptying the dishwasher, doing laundry, sorting mail and putting things back where they belong can be allocated to this type of time. Sometimes, getting started is the hardest part and once we get going, we get a second wind. If not, and we run out of steam before completely finishing the task, at least we've made progress.

While it might seem like a waste of time from a productivity perspective, down time is the time that makes productivity possible. We weren't meant to run nonstop 24/7 and, without time to simply relax and regroup, we quickly deplete both peak time and intermediate time. Finding those time slots and stamping them "Mine, all mine!" is key to keeping things in balance.

Next time you look at your to-do list, keep these three kinds of time in mind. What belongs in peak time? Intermediate time? What time slot will you brand as "Mine, all mine"?