Daniel H. Pink’s book WHEN: the Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing is a good addition to your library if you are working towards optimizing your life. The book was reviewed in the Wall Street Journal. I gave it a 5-star review.
What you want to do is first see whether you are a lark (14% of people), a third bird (65%) or an owl (21%). Then find your optimal time. The optimal time for creative tasks for most people (third birds) is in the morning. Pink comes with different examples of how our cognitive capacities decline after midday, and why we slump in the early afternoons. It is important we know our slump time because if you are engaged in a decisive task at 2, 3, or 4 o’clock in the afternoon and it is not going well..well, maybe, you should have picked up a different time.
Daniel Pink tells us that “what ultimately matters is the syncrony effect -that the type, task, and time align.”
Pink has a useful “Time Hacker’s Handbook” after each chapter. These workbook sections are meant to help the reader implement his solutions. For example, to determine your own slump time, Pink suggests you check your mental alertness and physical energy levels thoughout the day every 90 minutes, for a week.
We learn that is not a good idea to schedule medical examinations or medical procedures at 2 PM, 3 PM or 4 PM because of impaired physician vigilance.
Quote of the day:
John Milton: “Free will. It’s like butterfly wings: once touched, they never get off the ground. No, I only set the stage. You pull your own strings.” [The Devil’s Advocate, Warner Bros. Studios]
Max Cantor to John: “Yes, but that butterfly can still walk, John. Most of us walk and don’t fly. Your wings are useless on the ground, buttercup.”
Got a court appearance scheduled? Beware: Judges are more alert and possible lenient in the mornings. Early afternoons, not so much.
“An afternoon nap expands the brains capacity to learn. Napping for 10-20 minutes strengthens the immune system.” Pink is a fan of what he calls “nappuccino” which is coffee , followed by a nap of 10-20 minutes in the afternoon for increasing performance.
Pink largely comes to the conclusion lunch is the most important meal of the day. (those of you on IF skip breakfast anyways.)
Starting fresh
There is more than one day, New Year’s Day, to start fresh in the year: there are as many as 86 days (52 Mondays, the first day of the month, your job anniversary, b-day, etc.)
Pink’s research showed adherence to standards followed a U-shaped pattern.
We learn how a half time lead is a great probability of winning (a six-point half time lead makes for a 80% chance of winning in NBA games.) However, one point behind at half time it’s not a handicap. Things to consider: How much are you behind half way though a project? If it’s just a little, maybe it’s not bad at all.
Pink mentions something apparently used by Hemingway in his writer work, the Ziegardnik effect: the tendency to remember unfinished tasks better than finished tasks.
On the size of your social network
Students in their final year of school displayed the same kind of social-network pruning as their grandparents. So maybe older people are less connected to others by choice.
Watch Pink on Motivation making a case:
NOTE: If you’ve already bought The Book of the Underdog e-book, update it so you get the latest version. I’ve improved formatting and text errors since. Tip: Turn automatic book updates on (How To Set your Kindle for Automatic Book updates)
I enjoyed the book, too.
To add to Mr. Cantor, there's a serious reminder there against the "sad quick lunch", the typical lunch in the cubicle of the office worker who eats his sandwich at his desk while scrolling through his phone.
Hi Max,
Did you grab the devil by the balls when you talked to him ?
I couldn't. It's a she.