The Unusual Concentration Technique That Transformed How I Work, By Scott Tousley
Circadian and Ultradian Rhythms
This article covers the way the writer manages his energy throughout the day. It is very interesting and explains how to handle the natural ups and downs that can either benefit us or wear us out. In particular, this applies to those who work in a home office, but as you will read, it is for everyone.
I took from this information a few key points on how I can better manage my time, especially since I have many projects going on all at once. I like to think it is all healthy stress, but when I find myself sitting at the computer for an hour reading about stuff, I realize I should have taken that break I needed the hour before.
The writer of this article, gets into the utilization of another site that helps him keep track of everything, but it is not necessary to even check this out, because the real information here is about how we can manage our time and health. So, the most important point of this enlightening information is to understand that it is natural to have daily rhythms. What we find here are ways to map out our day, to suit the way the body fluctuates. I find that fascinating and am implementing changes in my schedule, including releasing false guilt when I take that thirty minutes every hour and a half, to either play, pray, or nap.
It’s also interesting to note that music helps us work. I use background music to comfort me, sometimes distract me, or to inspire me. There are two different platforms that I use depending on my mood. The grooveshark.com is great because one can find broadcasters of continuous, playing music, of the genre of your choice. Then find which artist fits your mood. Another platform that one can just put on and leave to play is the songza.com. It has choices of day music, moods, and decades. It too can be left playing in the background without having to either find music to play or laboriously set up a continuous stream.
This article is from ‘Sidekick’ by Hubspot, a great business platform with tools and tips. They now offer a Customer Response Manager (CRM) that I am learning about and using in my marketing business.
Here is an excerpt from the article:
“In reality, the human body operates on 120-minute biological intervals throughout the day called ultradian rhythms. These are broken into a series of peaks (when we are energized) and troughs (when we are exhausted).”
Here is the link to Sidekick for more on this transformative technique:
Here are a few more resources to find out more about our natural, Circadian Rhythms:
Ultradian Rhythms and The Natural ‘Trance Cycle’
“You may have heard of the ‘Circadian rhythm’ the daily bodily cycle that regulates our ‘awakeness’ during the day and night. The Circadian rhythm is the reason that we feel like getting up in the morning (hopefully !) and what causes us to feel sleepy at bed time.
Another type of bodily rhythm is the ‘Ultradian’ rhythm. Whereas the circadian rhythm occurs once a day, ultradian rhythms happen more than once. One ultradian rhythm has been shown to moderate the ‘hemispheric dominance’ within the brain.
Although the exact function and interplay of the 2 hemispheres is as yet unknown, we do know that the left hemisphere is more specialized for linear, logical thought and communication, and the right is more active when we are relaxed, dreaming and in hypnosis.
If not too stressed, you will have, after getting out of bed in the morning, around 90 to 120 minutes more focused attention followed by a 20 minute period of lesser focus. This is often experienced as difficulty concentrating.
During this 20 minute period you are more likely to feel sleepy or ‘day dreamy’ This is often the time that people take a break, grab a coffee or smoke a cigarette as a way to try to cheat this natural break.
However, since it has been shown that taking advantage of this natural rhythm has profound physical and mental health benefits, it is a better idea to do what your brain is asking you to do – Relax!
Hence the creation of ‘power naps‘ and their adoption by progressive companies. Unsurprisingly, in workplaces where regular breaks are encouraged, productivity increases and rates of sickness drop.”
Peak Performance and the Ultradian Rhythm
May 26th, 2012 | Posted in Effectiveness, Leadership Fitness, Vitality by David Chinsky
“Most of us are familiar with Circadian Rhythms, which our bodies track on a 24-hour cycle as we oscillate between wakefulness and sleep. Many of us though are unaware of our Ultradian Rhythms, which are natural body cycles occurring at intervals of less than 24 hours.
We experience an Ultradian Rhythm every 90 to 120 minutes. It is a bit different for each person. Think about the last time you were working hard, feeling energized and productive, and then after about an hour and a half to two hours, you started to tire a bit and lose your focus.
A popular response to this waning of our energy is to work through it with sheer determination in hopes of accomplishing what is front of us. This often puts us in a situation similar to reading a book when we are tired and finding ourselves reading the same paragraph over and over again, until we either fall asleep with book (or Nook or Kindle or iPad) in hand or realize that we must stop, at least for a while, before we can regain our focus and comprehension.
Another common strategy when we find ourselves nearing the end of one of our Ultradian Rhythms is to pump ourselves up with caffeine and/or sugar. Or, perhaps grabbing one of those ubiquitous 5-hour Energy drinks which now can be delivered in bulk quantities as touted in one of their recent commercial advertisements.
If we want to sustain peak performance, we must become more skillful at managing our energy throughout the day. By taking periodic breaks, roughly every 90 minutes, we allow our body and mind to renew.
Instead of fighting our natural (down) cycles, we can become many times more effective and productive throughout the day by listening to our bodies and working with these natural rhythms.”
Thanks for reading and sharing my journey to spiritual fulfillment and prosperity!
Jennifer T. Webb
‘May Love Reign In All Universes, and Peace Within Each One Of Us.’
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Jennifer Webb 