Infographic: How to make the most effective use of your time

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Whether you work alone dealing with clients, or manage a small team or large staff, as a business owner you know how important it is to make the most of the time you have available.

You probably also know from experience that it’s easier to accomplish certain tasks at different times, so it will help to work out a time-management strategy that compliments how you work best throughout the day.

Fortunately, there is plenty of research-backed information available to help you understand how natural circadian rhythms affect people’s productivity and work culture patterns, so you can develop a work schedule that takes peak performance times into account.

For example, neuroscientists suggest that creative thinking is at its peak in the early morning, and by late morning the brain is more ready for detail-oriented, problem solving type tasks. By the afternoon, people can tick off more routine tasks, and have more time for meetings and presentations, but the time for critical decision-making has passed.

By the end of the day your brain will welcome winding down by checking in with colleagues and partners to confirm upcoming targets, and finalize where you can pick up again in the morning, so you don’t get bogged down in planning first thing. Late afternoon is also when your sales pitch has more chance of success, so you can finish your day on a high note.

To help you get established in a healthy and efficient work routine, the small business finance experts at Headway Capital have gathered research from the fields of neuroscience, social media, and social science to produce an accessible guide to peak performance times.

This guide will help you find the most effective way to organize your day.

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