Timing is everything. So why don’t we pay more attention to the “when” decisions in our lives? New York Times bestselling author Daniel Pink shares the research and surprising takeaways from his new book, When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing.
- When is the best time to hold a meeting?
- Should I take a break?
- When should I go to the gym?
- Is now the best time to start a new project?
Dan answers all these questions and more, revealing how we can systematically make better, smarter decisions about our time.
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Show Notes
- What’s the big idea? (1:50)
- What do we know about timing? The surprising research behind timing. (2:54)
- How taking breaks actually increases productivity (4:01)
- The stages of the day: peak, trough, recovery (7:21)
- When is the best time to work out? (8:44)
- The fresh start effect—when we should start certain types of behavior change (12:30)
- How knowing your chronotype (lark, owl, third bird) will help you determine when you should do things (15:40)
- How to determine your chronotype (17:04)
- How to do the right work at the right time in a 9 to 5 environment (24:00)
- Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day? (25:17)
- Why you should take a lunch break (25:49)
- Advice for improving your productivity based on your chronotype (28:23)
- The best time to schedule meetings (30:55)
- The relationship between energy levels and timing (32:58)
- Dan’s approach to the writing process (34:32)
Resources / People Mentioned
- When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing
- Resources from Dan Pink
- The Fresh Start Effect: Temporal Landmarks Motivate Aspirational Behavior (research study)
- The Munich ChronoType Questionnaire (MCTQ)
- The Horne-Ostberg Questionnaire (AutoMEQ)
- Let Them Sleep: AAP Recommends Delaying School Start Times
- The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance (research study)
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