Ultimately, Though, Everything Is a Question of Balance

Ask yourself what you are more like at the moment: Are you more of a “human doing” or are you a “human being”? “To do” or “to be”? Going full speed or simply idling along? When was the last time you did nothing – actually nothing?

The quality of being – of not doing – is a quality that is progressively dwindling away in present-day times. Nevertheless, for establishing the balance that is needed, it is such a substantial and important contrast to the constant doing, to the constant activity.

Which Type Are You? “Lark” or “Owl”?

Whenever we take a look at the factors that have an impact on our balance, one of them is always the personal daily performance curve. Surely you have noticed that you are not equally effective over the course of a day; rather, there are fluctuations throughout.

There is no such thing as a typical daily performance curve. There are people who tend to be active and productive in the morning – referred to as larks – and then there are people who only flourish and become active during evening hours, and these are referred to as owls.

Achieving Balance through Clarity: Establish Your Daily Performance Curve

One simple way that you can do this is to repeatedly make notes over the course of a day regarding what you are currently doing. On a scale from 1 to 10, write down how you are experiencing your personal performance at the moment. If you record this systematically over a one- to two-week period, you will obtain a database that is telling.

What Is the Upshot of All This?

How does it help me if I have predictive knowledge about my personal daily performance curve? It allows you to schedule assignments that demand a high level of concentration and performance during those parts of the day in which high productivity is quite natural for you. And other assignments, for example routine tasks that you can simply finish without much reflection, can be scheduled during times of the day when your performance curve tends to be lower or taper off.

The “food coma” that follows after lunch is a classic example. You have eaten, you are feeling very cozy, and actually, a little nap or walk would be very fitting right now. But you have to get back to work. That is a moment when it can be worthwhile to do routine work.

If you do not have this degree of self-determination in your work, there are still alternatives for influencing your performance curve so that it fits better with various work pressures or peak loads.

How Can I Influence My Performance Curve?

• Sleep
  
  Sleep is a very significant factor. There are various studies which demonstrate that sleep is the main productivity factor in the performance of services. That is, enough sleep and a sufficiently high quality of sleep have a substantial impact on your performance curve and your productivity.
  Only you can find out how much sleep you personally need – and that can also change over the years. Most people need between seven and nine hours of sleep in order to be rested and fresh and able to go to work when they get up. To achieve this, it can sometimes help to just get up at a slightly different time since our sleep is divided into deep sleep and light sleep phases.
  Using apps or gadgets, you can follow your sleep rhythm. You can set your alarm for when you are in a light sleep phase and, for this reason, nearer to awaking than you would be if your alarm tore you out of your sleep during a deep sleep phase.
  
  
• Nutrition
  
  Another influential factor for your personal performance curve is nutrition. Personally, I avoid eating a heavy lunch whenever I work with attendees, or when I moderate seminars or workshops, because otherwise my performance curve would definitely suffer in the afternoon. I prefer to eat something light instead, and then I am suitably productive during the afternoon.
  
  
• Breaks
  
  Clearly, when you concentrate over a period of several hours and work on a matter with high intensity, the overall time that it takes to complete the work tends to increase and the quality suffers. In contrast, regular breaks of perhaps five to ten minutes every hour can raise your performance curve again or at least hold it at a steady level.
  The important thing about breaks is that you do something completely different than what you are currently working on. How you do this doesn’t really matter. You can run around the block, lay down for a short while, or get yourself a cup of coffee or tea.
  It is important that you get out of your current mode and thus indulge your brain in a short break to recuperate before you dive back into your work process.