• Thirty-five percent are productive between 9:00 a.m. and
11:00 a.m., before personal productivity falls through the
floor.
• Only 9 percent say they feel productive in terms of work
completed between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., and only 11
percent are productive between 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
This means that from the standpoint of work productivity, the
best time to play golf during the workweek is starting at 11:00 a.m.,
and the second-best tee time would be 2:00 p.m., as long as you can
get back to the office by 5:00 p.m., when personal productivity
starts to ramp up again.
Midday productivity drops because of interruptions from subordinates, peers, managers, and the “fire of the day” to be put out.
The result is that much of the work time during the day is spent
reacting, not acting. The events drive the direction of the individual, and the daily tasks that the individual intended to complete
have to be put on hold until later in the day or even pushed to the
next day, when people come in early to be productive before the
next daily rush.
So much time is spent reacting that there is little time left for
businesspeople to think. This is where golf comes in. Since 11:00a.m. to 2:00 p.m. is the least productive time for many, why not
spend it on the golf course, thinking?
It could be good for the economy, perhaps increasing the
$871.37 spent per golfer. People at the office who could not turn
to you for a solution to their crisis of the moment would have to
become more creative in solving issues on their own. This would
increase creativity on their part, and productivity as well.
Seriously, taking a break in the course of a day or a week is critical to the bottom line of the organization. It creates a better frame
of mind for making better decisions and lets managers and executives get better focused on results that matter, which is key to
tough management.