The Natural Productivity Cycle
In your personal life, when attending to business or working on side
projects, how often do you spend 8 consecutive hours in front of a
computer? It doesn’t make sense because we lose the ability to concentrate effectively within a few hours.
Everyone goes through alternating periods of high and low mental
acuity. There are days when I work on personal projects for well over 8
hours, but the time is always divided into multiple sessions. I might
spend a few hours coding a design, a few hours writing, and a few hours
reading feeds, moderating comments, and responding to email.
I work this way because it aligns with my mental energy cycle. Any
more than 3 hours in front of a computer and my eyes start hurting and I
become restless. I lose the ability to do my best work. Instead of
forcing myself to continue, I switch to an activity that allows my mind
to recharge. These breaks maximize productivity by eliminating down
periods. It’s counter productive to force work when the mental energy
isn’t there.
The Problem with an 8 Hour Work Day
A continuous 8 hour work day is a relic of the past. It makes sense
for physical labor and manufacturing work, but with information workers
it doesn’t account for the mental energy cycle. The ability of a factory
worker to think analytically is irrelevant, he’s either cranking
widgets or he isn’t.
In the case of the modern information worker, nearly all tasks
involve creative or strategic thinking. The way someone answers an email
or interprets a piece of information can differ drastically depending
on his or her energy level. Nobody does their best work 5:30 in the
afternoon after they’ve been sucking down coffee all day to stay awake.
I can’t speak for all workers, but I’ve observed that productivity
levels generally peak twice a day — first thing in the morning and
shortly after lunch. The most productive period is the beginning of the
day. People are capable of creative tasks like writing and solving
complex technical problems. After a couple hours of intense work, energy
levels drop and workers downgrade to less demanding tasks like
responding to email and tinkering with existing creations. Towards the
end of the cycle, the mind is so cluttered and drained that workers
resort to “work related activities” that appear productive but don’t
contribute to the bottom line. The afternoon cycle is similar but the
productivity peak isn’t as high. For different people the peaks and
valleys will vary, but overall I’d estimate only 3-4 hours a day could be classified as highly productive.
This number isn’t caused by slacking. You can’t force an information
worker to be highly productive when the energy isn’t there. Workers can
try their hardest, but the work just won’t have that creative edge. The
low ratio of highly productive hours to total hours worked is the result
of the continuous 8 hour work day.
When workers reach the low energy part of the cycle, they can’t recharge with a non-work activity. The only option is office purgatory. You can’t be highly productive because you’re mentally fatigued, but you can’t recharge because the 8 hour work day requires the appearance of constant productivity. The result is millions of unproductive workers trapped at their desks when they’d rather be doing something else.
Alternative Work Arrangements
The obvious solution to this problem is planning around the mental
energy cycle by breaking the work day into multiple segments. The
traditional office setting doesn’t accommodate this because there are
few available recharge activities. People can’t do household chores, run
errands, or engage in recreational activities without leaving the
workplace.
Some companies have tried to make the work environment more
accommodating by offering meals, fitness centers, and special areas for
relaxation. Although these amenities are certainly an improvement,
they’re expensive for employers and only partially satisfy employees.
The solution that makes the most sense is a remote work arrangement
because it reduces employer costs and allows employees to adjust their
work schedule to their mental energy cycle. When a worker becomes
mentally fatigued, they can go off the clock and engage in recharge
activities that are personally productive like exercise or relaxation.
When energy returns, the worker can start working again at a high level,
effectively cutting out the low productivity period of the cycle. Employers
don’t pay for unproductive time and employees get to work in a more
natural pattern that adjusts to their personal lives.
Why isn’t everyone doing this already? Many workers already are, and
as commutes get worse and communications improve, the number will
continue to increase. Of course there will always be a need for office
workers in businesses (like doctor’s offices and law firms) that require
daily customer interaction, but for most companies it really isn’t
necessary.
There is also the argument that people need to collaborate in person.
This is steadily becoming less essential. Most office communications
are already done through email or instant messager. Face to face
meetings are certainly necessary, but for the vast majority of lower and
mid level employees meetings are the exception and could be conducted
via phone/video conference or condensed into one or two days a week.
Another common objection is that employees will abuse remote work
arrangements by slacking off. I’m inclined to believe that most adults
value their employment enough that this isn’t a problem. In cases where
supervision is required, web cams and other technology can used to
monitor a worker.
I suspect the real reason remote work arrangements are still the
exception is inertia. Companies are used to doing business in the office
and are reluctant to change. There is also the presence of office
politics. If one person is given a remote arrangement, jealous employees
will complain. Doesn’t it make sense to give everyone what they want
and save a boat load of cash on office space?
I may only be a kid in his 20′s, but I can tell when something just
makes sense. I perceive an increasing number of people are noticing the
same phenomena. Forty years from now we’ll be telling our grandchildren
about the olden days when everyone’s mommy and daddy went to work in an
office.
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