Working long and late doesn’t increase your productivity: opt for shorter days

Do you feel you have to work a lot to exist in the office? Yet longer hours guarantee neither clarity nor lasting impact. That’s why experts remind us that quality takes precedence over perceived duration.

Late hours, sluggish performance

At the end of the day, attention wanes and errors creep up quietly. So, putting off a demanding task until 8 p.m. often leads to rework. What’s more, truncated sleep impairs working memory and judgment.

Specialists point to a presenteeism that flatters presence, not useful results. By contrast, measuring deliverables rather than time aligns effort, value and pace. Also, working hard rarely masks a lack of clear priorities.

Our circadian rhythms naturally favor morning and early afternoon peaks. So placing key decisions in these slots reduces friction and arbitrariness. What’s more, coffee is no substitute for an hour’s real, restorative rest.

“Fewer hours, better chosen, more often produce better work.”

What the experts say

Experts recommend well-framed, notification-free blocks of 60 to 90 minutes. In this way, you engage deep attention without unnecessary fragmentation or micro-distractions. What’s more, you secure a space where progress becomes visible and measurable.

Then align the tasks with the energy level of the moment, honestly. What’s more, a lot of work doesn’t make up for fuzzy, shifting planning. Also, completing a priority task before noon frees up concrete margin.

• Plan 2 90-minute slots of deep work, without notifications.
• Set 1 key objective per half-day, formulated in a verifiable way.
• Set aside 15 minutes in the morning and afternoon to sort your e-mails.
• Turn off notifications at 8:00 p.m. and use the evening to recuperate.
• Write down 3 priorities for the next day before calmly closing the computer.

Structuring the day for better production

Block out the morning for high-value, high-concentration tasks. This way, you protect your peaks of cognitive clarity, without interruptions. As a result, the important moves forward before the urgent rears its ugly head again.

Manage messaging in short batches, two or three targeted, quiet windows. Also, working a lot on emails dilutes attention and operational impact. On the other hand, dedicated time slots reduce the mental and decision-making back-and-forth.

Plan active breaks to boost attention without guilt or loss of rhythm. What’s more, a few steps or a short stretch are better than one more open tab. So a 5-minute break is often enough to clarify what’s next.

Set aside a weekly review to calmly adjust objectives, workloads and expectations. From now on, you choose what to stop, rather than working a lot without a clear course or measure. As a result, your week gains in realistic consistency and predictability.

Managers and teams: changing the measure

On the management side, set observable results and realistic deadlines, understood by all. In this way, the discussion shifts from the hours to the value produced and verifiable. What’s more, a clear framework protects evenings and weekends from invasion.

On the other hand, glorifying hard work encourages fatigue and costly rework. Therefore, thanking clear priorities creates a virtuous, readable loop. Also, limit late messages and set up common response windows.

Signals to watch out for and simple gestures

Do you reread the same lines three times without understanding or making any progress? The brain is calling for a break, not a new file to start. What’s more, this signal often precedes a costly and avoidable error.

Have you been putting off strategic tasks for weeks, without exception? Also, working a lot against the clock slows down useful learning and creativity. On the other hand, taking small steps forward early on reduces mental workload and drift.

Start small and adjust each week according to concrete feedback. In short, three stable habits are better than one isolated, exhausting sprint. This way, your energy supports your goals, day after day, without running out.