WHEN by Daniel H. Pink

WHEN – The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel H. Pink takes us on a journey of discovery about how we are more in control of How We Live – Work & Play than we ever realized. Pink has the unique ability to take a whole lot of research and put it down to where we all understand the data.

HIGHLIGHTS

1.????WHEN is about Timing which many believe is an Art – However, Pink points out Timing is really a SCIENCE!

2.?????Humans metaphorically “Open and Close” at regular times during each day and there are time-based patterns in how we Feel – How we Perform AND How we Configure our Daily Lives!

3.????Alertness and Energy level, climb in the morning and reach their PEAK around noon, tend to hit a TROUGH during the afternoon but REBOUND in the evening ALL of which have a huge impact on our conversations, attitude, decisions, and performance. We all experience the day in these 3 Stages. (to me this was the most insightful information)

4.????Education of our youth, Administering of Tests and Taking Breaks are extremely important factors to be considered for students in their educational process and unfortunately, schools have not necessarily adapted. The same can be said for how we Do Business as well. Timing is Everything and important actions and decisions should be centered around our "Best Times".

5.????The book contains so much data it would be a challenge if it were not for the “Time Hackers Handbook”. The Handbook provides Tips and Exercises after each of the first six chapters which are most helpful. Pink breaks down into easy-to-follow steps and examples that are easily relatable and enable us to personalize the information.

?6.????Each of us has a “chronotype” – a personal pattern of circadian rhythms that influence our physiology and psychology and we can be referred to as Larks | Owls and Third Birds.

7.????Behavior during “Free Days” can help to determine if you are a Lark | Owl | Third Bird – by answering the 3 Questions on page 28 and then referring to the chart. What Pink points out is that between 60 – 80% of the population are Third Birds (meaning most of us fall in the middle of Larks and Owls.)

8.????Create “Better Endings” in Work – School – Vacation and Purchases involve taking time to Reflect - to recognize the importance of closing moments and our ability to shape them. Certain meals are something we have all been made to believe are important. Breakfast – Eat or Skip It. However, Lunch offers an important Recovery to promote occupational health and well-being and must have two things 1) Autonomy (control over What You Do – How You Do It -Where you Do It and When you Do It). 2) Detachment is critical during Lunch in that one must remove themselves from thinking about work – (even being on the phone with Social Media can be detrimental.)

9.????For those who struggle completing a project, Pink advises 5 ways to Reawaken the Motivation. 1) Set Interim Goals 2) Publicly commit to the Goals 3) Stop your Sentence Midway 4) Don’t Break the Chain (think of the x's on the calendar) 5) Envision one Person who will Benefit from Your Efforts.

10.?Synchronizing with others can be a powerful way to lift Physical and Psychological well-being and Pink reminds us of a variety of ways whereby, we can accomplish coordination through “Synchronization” - Singing, Exercising, Dancing, and/or Cooking all of which creates synchronizing and rewards our sense of belonging.

AUTHOR’S INTENT (in my humble opinion)

Without Daniel Pink’s insight into the DATA, most would avoid the topic altogether as there is so much statistical information to digest. Prior to reading WHEN I thought I had a grasp of my own "TIMING" - however, Not So! Pink takes a topic that on the surface, we think we are familiar with and yet, he uses history and specific examples on changing our ideas about WHEN!

ACTION STEPS

A primary takeaway from WHEN is “How To Figure Your Daily WHEN – Three-Step Method”

1.?????Determine your “Chronotype” which has questions on page 28 OR by visiting https://bit.ly/DanPinkChronotype

2.?????Determine WHAT You Need to Do. This is important as it determines the importance of the activity.

3.?????There is a CHART on page 40 that clearly helps one figure out the optimal time for A) Analytical Tasks B) Insight tasks C) Making an Impression D) Making A Decision.

?Thank you for joining me on the adventure, here on Books In Bites and I would love to hear your thoughts. I can promise this book is crucial to understanding WHEN we should Act!

I highly recommend WHEN by Daniel H. Pink and you can grab your own copy at https://www.danpink.com/books/when/ ?(no affiliate fee – just sharing)