{"id":89269,"date":"2019-09-13T17:09:56","date_gmt":"2019-09-13T21:09:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rbachnet.wwwmi3-ss40.a2hosted.com\/index.php\/"},"modified":"2021-08-22T14:04:40","modified_gmt":"2021-08-22T18:04:40","slug":"why-you-should-start-critical-projects-in-the-fall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/why-you-should-start-critical-projects-in-the-fall\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the Most Productive Time to Start a Project"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20130121184340\/http:\/\/users.wpi.edu\/~virtualarmory\/fun.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-104146\" title=\"What is the Most Productive Time to Start a Project\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Project_Manager-1.png?resize=100%2C126&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"What is the Most Productive Time to Start a Project\" width=\"100\" height=\"126\" \/><\/a>Fall is coming. Fall means football, leaf-peeping, cider and winter is coming. The season is also time to <strong>start that big project<\/strong>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theladders.com\/career-advice\/why-you-should-take-on-your-biggest-projects-in-the-fall\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New data<\/a> from <a href=\"https:\/\/redbooth.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Redbooth<\/a> maker of a <span class=\"js-about-item-abstr\">web-based workplace collaboration tool <\/span>says that <strong>Autumn is the most productive time to start a project<\/strong>. The San Francisco, CA-based firm looked at 1.8 million projects and 28 million tasks over a four-year period and quantified what a lot of us already intuitively know.<\/p>\n<h3>Fall is the most productive time to start a project<\/h3>\n<p>The data found that the average person gets more work done in the fall than in any other season. The study found that people are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress-production\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/season.jpg?ssl=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-103973\" title=\"Fall is the Most Productive Time to Start a Project\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/redbooth_work_season.jpg?resize=100%2C78&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Fall is the Most Productive Time to Start a Project\" width=\"100\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/redbooth_work_season.jpg?resize=150%2C117&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/redbooth_work_season.jpg?resize=75%2C59&amp;ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/redbooth_work_season.jpg?w=741&amp;ssl=1 741w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 100px) 100vw, 100px\" \/><\/a>20% more productive in autumn than in winter<\/li>\n<li>11% more productive in autumn than in spring<\/li>\n<li>7% more productive in autumn than summer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It should not surprise anyone who has lived through a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wxyz.com\/getting-around-metro-detroit\/michigan-is-the-deadliest-state-for-winter-driving-study-finds\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Detroit winter<\/a> that we are less productive in winter. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crainsdetroit.com\/news\/metro-detroit-grapples-punch-snow-bitter-cold\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Snow &#8211; cold &#8211; no Sun<\/a> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2wgaW-nlG\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SADD<\/a>. It is a bit surprising to me that summer is a more productive season to start a project. We are actually more productive in summer than spring.<\/p>\n<h3>October is the most productive month<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress-production\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/month.jpg?ssl=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-103974\" title=\"Redbooth monthly productivity\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/redbooth_work_month.jpg?resize=100%2C87&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Redbooth monthly productivity\" width=\"100\" height=\"87\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/redbooth_work_month.jpg?resize=150%2C130&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/redbooth_work_month.jpg?resize=75%2C65&amp;ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/redbooth_work_month.jpg?resize=768%2C665&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/redbooth_work_month.jpg?w=790&amp;ssl=1 790w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 100px) 100vw, 100px\" \/><\/a>Redbooth found that October is the most productive month followed by September and November. The least productive time to start a project is in January. People complete 9.5% of tasks in October, while in January they only do 7.2%. The researchers surmised that it could be the holiday rush that pressures people into getting more done or perhaps even adults have that refreshed, back to school feeling in the fall.<\/p>\n<h3>Monday is the most productive day<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress-production\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/day-of-week.jpg?ssl=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-103975\" title=\"Redbooth daily productivity\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Redbooth_work_DOW.jpg?resize=100%2C79&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Redbooth daily productivity\" width=\"100\" height=\"79\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Redbooth_work_DOW.jpg?resize=150%2C119&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Redbooth_work_DOW.jpg?resize=75%2C59&amp;ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Redbooth_work_DOW.jpg?resize=768%2C608&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Redbooth_work_DOW.jpg?w=788&amp;ssl=1 788w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 100px) 100vw, 100px\" \/><\/a>This one is a bit more surprising. Even though <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/8yteMugRAc0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">don&#8217;t like Mondays<\/a>, Redbooth says we work well on them. Monday is the most productive time to start a project. People reported completing the most tasks at 20.4%. Only 16.7% of tasks are completed on Fridays, making Friday nearly 20% less productive than Monday.<\/p>\n<p>The author speculates that given the relatively low completion levels on the latter days of the week, it\u2019s likely that Monday is the \u201ccatch up\u201d day at work. Studies have shown that as many as 81% of workers get the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.roberthalf.com\/blog\/salaries-and-skills\/how-to-beat-the-sunday-night-blues\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sunday Blues<\/a>\u201d \u2014 or an impending feeling of dread over the work week ahead. It\u2019s possible that this dread pushes us to work harder earlier in the week.<\/p>\n<h3>11 AM is the most productive time<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress-production\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/time-of-day.jpg?ssl=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-103976\" title=\"Redbooth hourly productivity\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Redbooth_work-TOD.jpg?resize=100%2C78&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Redbooth hourly productivity\" width=\"100\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Redbooth_work-TOD.jpg?resize=150%2C117&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Redbooth_work-TOD.jpg?resize=75%2C59&amp;ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Redbooth_work-TOD.jpg?resize=768%2C601&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rbach.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Redbooth_work-TOD.jpg?w=876&amp;ssl=1 876w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 100px) 100vw, 100px\" \/><\/a>We work best just before Lunch. Productivity peaks at 11 AM with 9.7% of tasks completed. After that, the effects of food set in, and a slump tends to occur after 1 PM.\u00a0 After 1 PM, productivity never quite returns to its peak, due to the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20201109030900\/http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2007\/08\/20\/business\/worldbusiness\/20iht-workcol21.4.7188541.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">post-lunch dip<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>rb-<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>So the data says you should start your most critical projects on a Monday at 11 AM in October.<\/em><\/p>\n<h6>Related articles<\/h6>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.techzone360.com\/topics\/techzone\/articles\/2019\/06\/18\/442458-5-trends-that-reshaping-future-project-management.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">5 Trends that are Reshaping the Future of Project Management<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.techzone360.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">TechZone360<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><a title=\"Ralph Bach\" href=\"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/new-resume\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ralph Bach<\/a>\u00a0has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his\u00a0<a title=\"Bach Seat\" href=\"https:\/\/rbach.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bach Seat<\/a> about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on <a class=\"broken_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/rb48334\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">LinkedIn<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ralph.bach.14\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/rbach48334\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Twitter<\/a>. Email the Bach Seat\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:\/\/bach.seat@gmail.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fall is the most productive time to start a project so start your most challenging project on a Monday at 11 AM in October.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1926],"tags":[3161,3345,3346,2073,3347,3343,3344],"class_list":["post-89269","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-project-management","tag-3161","tag-monday","tag-october","tag-project-management-2","tag-redbooth","tag-scheduling","tag-wbs"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89269","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89269"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89269\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":124933,"href":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89269\/revisions\/124933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}