How long should your work blocks be for optimal performance?

[SamC]

As the title

Edited October 10, 2021 by SamC

[vizual]

That’s like asking how many calories a person should consume for optimal performance. It depends on a lot of factors. For instance the kind of work you are doing; heavy intellectual work is different from heavy physical work, is different from routine office work, is different from work where you have to deal with people etc.

Really this is something you have to learn to listen to your intuition. You don’t want to make your worm too easy for you, nor do you want to burn yourself out. 

[SamC]

2 hours ago, vizual said:

That’s like asking how many calories a person should consume for optimal performance. It depends on a lot of factors. For instance the kind of work you are doing; heavy intellectual work is different from heavy physical work, is different from routine office work, is different from work where you have to deal with people etc.

Really this is something you have to learn to listen to your intuition. You don’t want to make your worm too easy for you, nor do you want to burn yourself out. 

@vizual Yeah true. What I am wondering however is if there are some studies or something that say that it's better to work shorter or longer blocks.

Some talk a lot about pomadoro ( 25 min blocks) and how that is the best while others say that the best is to focus for 90 minutes instead. Doesn't it exist some sort research that suggests where one should lean towards?

Edited October 10, 2021 by SamC

[itachi uchiha]

7 or 8 hour/day at max

[LastThursday]

There's two approaches which I use:

• Structured approach
• Unstructured approach

With the structured approach, I use it for work that doesn't excite me very much. Mainly I use the Pomodoro method, with a pattern like: 30,5,30,10,30,5,30,20,30,5... all in minutes of work/break. This works for me because paid work is mostly boring and I'm very easily distracted by more exciting things.

With the unstructured approach, I use it for work that does excite me. I start and then keep on going until something happens, nature calls or I get hungry or I feel brain fog coming on. My breaks will be longer to go and service my bodily needs. I may go for a walk or have a nap. After feeling refreshed I'm back to it. I tend to work in much longer periods, maybe 90 minutes or two hours between breaks. I find naturally that working longer than about two hours my brain starts to switch off. So this is a more natural approach to work.

[Rob06]

My approach is similar to that of LastThursday. But I do use the structured approach for creative work as well sometimes. I tend to work in 25 minute spurts, and than take a couple of minutes break. This is because I tend to go into over-focus mode, going completely into my head, becoming perfectionistic, which results into a tense body and brain fatigue. The alarm rings after 25 minutes, which is a reminder to take a breath, put my focus back on the process rather than the result and stretch my body. 

When I'm in a particularly focused and relaxed mood, I don't set the 25 minute alarm, and can sometimes work for 90 to 120 minutes in one stretch.

I would say the best practice is to experiment with some different methods and see for your self what works best. Be mindful of your state as you start working. That might dictate your strategy for that moment or day.