Whether you are an early worm or a night owl, all you have to do in order to make your day super productive is to optimize your first 3 hours after waking up. According to Ron Friedman, psychologist and author of 'The Best Place to Work: how to structure your day to get the most done', the first three hours of your day are the best time for maximized productivity.
In an interview with Harvard Business Review Friedman said, "Typically, we have a window of about three hours where we're really, really focused. We're able to have some strong contributions in terms of planning, in terms of thinking, in terms of speaking well." So, what makes the first three hours of your day so special?
State of your brain immediately after waking up
Plenty of recent research in neuroscience confirms that the prefrontal cortex of the brain is most active immediately the following sleep. The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain that is highly involved in functions such as focusing and cognition.
A 2012 paper published in the Journal of Neurophysiology identified an increase in the metabolic cost of brain function immediately after waking in fMRI scans of 24 young healthy adults, supporting this theory.
Additionally, your willpower is strongest immediately the following sleep, and as the day progresses you will experience decision fatigue, says the paper ' The Physiology of Willpower: Linking Blood Glucose to Self-Control', by Matthew T. Gailliot and Roy F. Baumeister.
How to make most of the first 3 hours?
Avoid working out the first thing in morning
One of the biggest mistakes many of us make is working out early in morning. Blogger Benjamin Hardy says , "I used to exercise first thing in the morning. Not anymore. I've found that exercising first thing in the morning actually sucks my energy, leaving me with less than I started". However, it is fine to move your workout sessions to late morning or afternoon.
Have a protein rich breakfast
In a Men's Health article , Donald Layman, professor emeritus of nutrition at the University of Illinois, recommends consuming at least 30 gms of protein for breakfast. Best-selling writer and 'human guinea pig' Tim Ferris says a 3-minute high-protein and "slow-carb" breakfast is perfect for fat-loss and cognitive performance. He says, he consumes 30 grams of protein within 30 minutes of waking. So, opt for a protein rich breakfast soon after you wake up.
Follow the 90-90-1 Rule
The 90-90-1 Rule was first introduced by the famous author Robin Sharma in his book 'The Leader Who Had No Title' . He says, "for the next 90 days, devote the first 90 minutes of your day to the one best opportunity in your life. Nothing else. Zero distractions. Just get that project done. Period". Set aside the first 90 minutes of your day to accomplish your biggest dreams and goals.
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