The Impact of Diminishing Returns on Productivity

We all love a work week shortened by a holiday.

However, returning to work and, facing a short work week, many of us will try to meet pressing deadlines by working more hours.

But what if the extra hours actually hurts your productivity?

This is exactly what the concept of diminishing returns teaches us.

While it seems logical that longer hours = more work done, research reveals that productivity decreases after 50 hours of work in a week.? Exceeding this hours of work limit results in increasingly diminishing returns; a person working 70 hours accomplishes only slightly more than someone working 55.

So why this productivity decline?

• Physical Fatigue Factor: Long hours deplete physical energy. This makes it harder to focus, increases unforced errors, and slows down task completion.
• Mental Decision Fatigue: The brain, only 2% of our body weight, is an energy hog, consuming 20% of the body's total energy expenditure. Every decision, big or small, made throughout the day uses and depletes mental energy. Imagine your brain as a battery - fully charged in the morning with good self-care (sleep, food, exercise), but slowly draining as you work. "Decision fatigue", as the day continues, = more poor choices made.? Decision fatigue explains why lawyers don’t want clients sentenced in the afternoon by tired judges!

Strategies for Peak Performance: Instead of sacrificing your well-being for extra work time, maximize your output by:

• Becoming an Efficiency Expert by:

1.???? Protecting Your Time and Energy!? Because no one else will.

2.???? Prioritizing tasks ruthlessly. Create, and adhere to, a “Don’t Do List” for the tasks that don’t move you towards achieving your daily/weekly goals.?

3.???? Minimizing distractions and interruptions. Train others to respect your time. Block out an hour during your morning for focused work – no calls, texts, or meetings allowed!? And, yes, this can be done!

4.???? Scheduling short physical breaks throughout the day. Get physical every 90 minutes to mentally recharge so you can maintain focus.

5.???? Work Smarter, Not Harder: Look for ways to streamline your workflow.? Automate repetitive tasks and delegate tasks that others can do effectively.

6.???? AGAIN! Practice Self-Care: Get enough sleep (7-9 hours), exercise daily (20 minutes plus), stop (or at least reduce) eating crap! Make time for personal activities with people who make you happy.

These items recharge you and improve your performance without requiring you to work more hours.

By focusing on efficiency and maintaining healthy self-care, you can achieve more in less time.

I could be wrong…but I’m not