Shorten your days to Productivity

How many of us all can relate to putting in the extra hours that are needed? I mean lets be real in saying that when we are presented with a contracted outlining the expectation on hours worked and it says 9 – 5 we all know that more often that not this is not what is required for the business, we have all been there staying up late to finish that report or fixing up the piping in a bathroom.. or is it?

Studies show that when companies reduced their working hours from 9 to 8 they had an increase in work productivity by … Not bad when you think of what that extra hour could mean to your own life. Whats even more interesting is the idea of unified coffee break. Research done on a call centre found that when the workers all broke for coffee at the same time over the course of a year the profit for that company increased by $16 million dollars… pretty amazing when you consider the call centre is pretty much empty at moments during the day… but the reasoning behind it is genius and revolves around Social Capital. You see my legends when we interact with people it provides us with a stimulant for our day, it also allows us to enjoy our working life with a greater vibe. Believe it or not standing next to the vending machine with a co worker for 15 minutes can do wonders in refreshing the particular orbital lobes of the brain responsible for coming up with creative ideas. Since this study a lot of offices have instilled no food or coffee at desk rules meaning people have to get up and go down to the cafe or go outside to eat, refresh and interact.

A similar study also looked at uninterrupted time in relation to Social Capital where a company said 3 days a week during the hours of 9am – 12pm people can not be interrupted. This came about as people were finding that despite being at their desk their work on particular tasks vs work being done was really poor, they kept getting distracted. These workers were not to be interrupted for questions etc. and as a result not only did turnover for the company improve but people became more respectful of their fellow workers time and the workers themselves had to be organised and plan out what they wanted to get done. They ended up setting daily uninterrupted goals and this lead to something pretty substantial as a business but also as a person, they felt better, were enjoying work more and when they could chat, social capital was just killing it!!! 🙂

Now i am fortunate to call my hours to my liking, mind you that could mean i am technically on 24/7 as when I am sleeping i am dreaming of bad ass recipes to put together for you guys. I don’t get up and go to work from 9 – 5 in an office or at a job site, rather i work from a cafe (with great coffee and really good Wifi 😉 ) from 8-11, break then another stint from 12- 3 and then go and recipe test. But as you can see my time behind the computer is still structured, the environment may be different but i get done what I need to without the distractions as this is what works for me. After reading these situations and studies I wanted to relate them to my daily routines and found out why i find myself getting work done.. I have uninterrupted time, i take breaks and I find myself gaining that amazing Social Capital from the boys at the cafe when it is needed. So let me ask you… How does your 9-5 day look?

Take Away Points:

-Shorten days can improve productivity

-Breaks promote orbital love activation and thus creativity

-Social Capital is super important for working life

-Designated uninterrupted time in short periods can do wonders for specific working tasks

On that note my legends you can have more time to do the things you want to… such as cook these amazing options 😉 xo DC

-The Healthy Soft Serve
-Coconut Blueberry #GlutenFree Tart
-Sweet Potato Bake
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