OMG Digital Magazine OMG Issue 335 13th December 2018 | Page 6

OMG Digital Magazine | 335 | Thursday13 December 2018 • PAGE 6
How to Flow Your Way to a More Productive Life
Royale Scuderi
Ebb and flow. Contraction and expansion. Highs
and lows. It’s all about the cycles of life.
The entire course of our life follows this up and
down pattern of more and then less. Our days flow
this way, each following a pattern of more energy,
then less energy, more creativity and periods of
greater focus bookended by moments of low
energy when we cringe at the thought of one
more meeting, one more call, one more sentence.
The key is in understanding how to use the cycles
of ebb and flow  to our advantage. The ability
to harness these fluctuations, understand how
they affect our productivity and mood and then
apply that knowledge as a tool to improve our
lives is a valuable strategy that few individuals or
corporations have mastered.
Here are a few simple steps to start using this
strategy today:
Review Your Past Flow
Take just a few minutes to look back at how your
days and weeks have been unfolding. What time
of the day are you the most focused? Do you prefer
to be more social at certain times of the day? Do
you have difficulty concentrating after lunch or
are you energized? Are there days when you can’t
seem to sit still at your desk and others when you
could work on the same project for hours?
Do you see a pattern starting to emerge? Eventually
you will discover a sort of map or schedule that
charts your individual productivity levels during a
given day or week.  That’s the first step. You’ll use
this information to plan your days going forward.
Schedule According to Your Flow Pattern
Look at the types of things you do each day…
each week. What can you move around so that
it’s a better fit for you? Can you suggest to your
team that you schedule meetings for late morning
if you can’t stand to be social first thing? Can you
schedule detailed project work or highly creative
tasks, like writing or designing when you are best
able to focus? How about making sales calls or
client meetings on days when you are the most
social and leaving billing or reports until another
time when you are able to close your door and do
repetitive tasks.
Keep in mind that everyone is different and some
things are out of our control. Do what you can.
You might be surprised at just how flexible clients
and managers can be when they understand that
improving your productivity will result in better
outcomes for them.
Account for Big Picture Fluctuations
Look at the bigger picture. Consider what happens
during different months or times during the year.
Think about what is going on in the other parts
of your life. When is the best time for you to take
on a new project, role or responsibility? Take into
account other commitments that zap your energy.
Do you have a sick parent, a spouse who travels all
the time or young children who demand all of your
available time and energy?
We all know people who ignore all of this advice
and yet seem to prosper and achieve wonderful
success anyway, but they are usually the exception,
not the rule. For most of us, this habitual tendency
to force our bodies and our brains into patterns of
working that undermine our productivity result
in achieving less than desired results and adding
more stress to our already overburdened lives.