In workplace culture, this article explores how we can’t work do serious mental demand work for more than three to four hours a day. I hadn’t really every thought about my productivity in this way. I do realise that certain work activities are better performed at certain times of the day for me. I find I can get my head down in the morning but late afternoon/evening my focus on intense tasks is difficult, so where possible I move them to the following morning. We all need to ensure we are performing work to maximise productivity. This will vary for each of us. There is no hard and fast rule BUT I can imagine a long intense day is unlikely to be of benefit to you or your employer.
And outside of work we need to determine how much we sleep! As a sufferer of Sleep Apnoea I learnt to really focus on quality sleep a long time ago and progressively over the last four years I have seen such improvements – moving from less than five hours a night to consistently getting over 7 hours (even before Covid struck). It is about having a routine I find. Sleep benefits us in so many ways as this article highlights. Though it does make me think of my Grandparents. Both would have less than six hours of sleep a night and functioned very well (maybe they snuck in a daytime snooze?).
In my ears this week has been two great podcasts:
- First up episode 7 (I think) of the WorkBold podcast and it’s very heavy on the science. I mean I think we all know that pollution is not good for the body but this delves deeper and focuses on what is going on within our offices. Surely it’s only a matter of time before we all have an App to check air quality and simply won’t tolerate buildings that are bad for our health!
- Tim Burke is back with this Market Moves podcast discussing green finance. A growing theme amongst businesses – with the quantum of the need for reform in the real estate sector to address carbon it is great to see these initiatives. How to drive change, make it cost if you don’t!
In housing news Urban Splash in talks to buy Brick By Brick which would give access to a London pipeline for the successful developer. An organisation that rethinks regeneration will hopefully do what Croydon Council was unable to.
And in development news there is Shenzhen’s Mangrove Tree-Inspired Transportation Hub showing that design can be incorporated into the mundane of travelling.
Words of Wilko 