Productivity is an increasingly important part of modern life, where we have more things to achieve but less time to accomplish. There are quite a few surprising studies about productivity that you probably didn’t know existed. Here are some of the top studies that will help boost your productivity:
Working Fewer Hours Is More
In today’s work culture, many people believe that they need to work longer hours to get more done and succeed. A study from Stanford University found that productivity per hour falls sharply when a person works more than 50 hours a week. After 55 hours and more, productivity drops so much that adding more hours would be useless.
You don’t have to chase every little thing that appears in work, but you can focus on the items that matter and give meaning.
You Can Solve Problems While You Dream
You probably heard the term “I need to sleep on it” when there’s a difficult decision to take. They know that there is a chance they might have a fresh idea the next morning. In memory studies, enabling associated sounds during sleep can reactivate memories. We can reactivate previously unsolved problems, and it could help solve them.
According to the research, dreams are yet another doorway to productivity. On average, we spend a third of our lives asleep. This is an increasingly important factor nowadays, where we have more things to accomplish yet less time to do so, and productivity has never been more relevant for the modern-day.
Meetings Can Reduce Productivity
We need to find a balance between work and meetings. Meetings can be pretty effective when done right. But sometimes, they may do more harm than good. This study shows that teams that participated more in problem-solving interaction and action planning, were significantly more satisfied. But dysfunctional communication, such as criticizing others or complaining, showed a significant negative impact.
Use Standing Desks
Standing while working is more than just healthy for your back. Standing desks stimulate blood circulation and bring oxygen to the brain to boost mental clearness. The study found that the group that used standing desks had 53 percent more successful calls than their seated colleagues. Standing desks can reduce tiredness among workers and boost productivity in a result.
Productivity Changes Throughout the Day and Week
Do you feel energized on a Tuesday and more focused in the evening? Researchers found that memory, perception, and problem-solving skills vary according to a person’s chronotype. Some people do better in the early hours, and some do best later in the day.
Some people have the same productivity in the evening as others in the morning. By making notes of the hours and days when you are at your peak productivity, you can notice a consistent pattern of ups and downs.
This way, you can plan tasks more smartly. For example, if you’re an evening person and feel most energized on Tuesdays, maybe a Tuesday evening is the perfect time to work on your most challenging tasks.
I hope you discovered new ideas to improve and take something practical from these studies. Doesn’t matter from which background you’re coming. Try to be proactive in getting some changes made.
What other surprising productivity studies would you add to this list? Share with us on our Twitter: @Planndu
