Back in 2007, I was out of school and working full time.
Yet, I was struck by this post from Cal Newport about studying.
The premise was that pseudo-work does not equal work.
He used exponential decay theory and applied it to marathon study sessions.
The data from the post looked like this:
As our energy decays, the total units of work decay. So, studying 2 hours/day over two days (4 total hours) is more productive than a 10-hour marathon study session.
My Perspective
This concept should be brought to the forefront of the conversation about the future of work.
Busy as a badge of honor suggests that your busiest employees might be your least productive.
They spend long hours but may struggle with intensity of focus.
Some employees may have their best intensity moments in the morning, others midday, and still others in the evening hours.
Having meetings scheduled right in the middle of good focus hours can eliminate the intensity of focus hours for that entire day.
Companies and teams could have good discussions around this information. They could talk about the challenges of finding time for intensity of focus. Team members could identify the hours of the day when their energy is at a peak.
To learn more about your personal energy equation, check out this post on understanding personal energy and this one on maximizing daily energy.
Your Turn
What do you think of Cal’s formula for intensity of work?
Do you think this concept could be applied to your work? Why or why not?
How could you shift your approach to work to take this concept into account?