Humans have imagined themselves as machines, doing work linearly, and continuously.We aren't machines, but organisms that work best cyclically, with intervals and rest periods.

Work Cycles

Time Management

The 90-minute cycle works well for most of the demanding and creative work, as follows:<ul><li>Morning practice is essential.</li><li>Three sessions a day on an average</li><li>Each session is for 90 minutes</li><li>A break is essential between the sessions.</li></ul>

90 Minute Cycles

Your brain can only focus for 90 to 120 minutes before it needs a break.&nbsp;This is the ultradian rhythm, a cycle that’s present in both our sleeping (the 90-minute cycles during which we progress through the five stages of sleep) and waking lives (as we move from higher to lower alertness).

The Ultradian Rhythm

Unplugging or taking a break after 90 minutes is not opposing your work in any way, but is a part of your work.Taking a break only enhances your work quality, so that you are at your best after returning.

Unplug after 90 Minutes

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Since sprints get us to focus in and finish our tasks with crisp consciousness, we know they're <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/3010035/bottom-line/to-have-a-productive-day-make-work-a-series-of-sprints">the most effective way of working</a>. But what's fascinating is why they make us work so well.
For Leo Widrich <a href="http://blog.bufferapp.com/optimal-work-time-how-long-should-we-work-every-day-the-science-of-mental-strength">at Buffer</a>, it's in human nature: while we often imagine ourselves as machines-which move linearly- we're actually organisms, which move cyclically. And to do our <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/3009704/bottom-line/5-habits-of-the-most-creative-people">most creative</a>, productive work, we need to step to that rhythm.
Your brain can only focus for 90 to 120 minutes before it needs a break, Widrich reports. Why? It's the <a href="http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/ultradian%2Brhythm">ultradian rhythm</a>, a cycle that's present in both our sleeping and waking lives.
As Tony Schwartz has <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tony-schwartz/work-life-balance-the-90_b_578671.html">reported</a>, this was first discovered by Nathan Kleitman, a groundbreaking sleep researcher. He called it the "basic rest-activity cycle": the 90-minute cycles during which you progress through the <a href="http://psychology.about.com/od/statesofconsciousness/a/SleepStages.htm">five stages of sleep</a>. Kleitman found the 90-minute pattern in our days, too, as we move from higher to lower alertness-the ultradian rhythm.
The 90-minute cycle works. Schwartz <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Way-Were-Working-Isnt-Performance/dp/1439127662/ref%3Dsr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1273182790&amp;sr=1-1">wrote a book</a> in under six months by carving his workday into a trio of 90-minute chunks.
Without ever reading productivity posts (we assume), other fields found the 90-minute rhythm, too. In a widely cited <a href="https://syllabus.byu.edu/uploads/h52kB4gCLyQP.pdf">study</a> of prodigious violinists, psychologist Anders Ericsson found that the top performers all had the same practice characteristics:
<ul>
	<li>They practiced in the morning </li>
	<li>They practiced for three sessions </li>
	<li>Each sessions was 90 minutes or less </li>
	<li>There was a break between each session </li>
</ul> 
That same pattern is found in other top performers, Schwartz reports: focus then rest, focus then rest.
In an elegant <a href="https://medium.com/better-humans/f0858a0cda88">post</a> on Medium, digital strategist <a href="https://twitter.com/tomgibsonwords">Tom Gibson</a> echoes Widrich's naturalism, observing that these ebbs and flows "make the pattern make the pattern of organic labour" and are not "to be worked around, to be 'gotten over.'" If you understand them-and work with them-you can do better work, the same way that knowing the mechanics of a truck's engine enhances performances.
In this way, <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/3013071/unplug/when-is-the-best-time-to-unplug">the time you unplug</a> is a part of, not opposite to, your workday, as Gibson continues:
<blockquote>
"We need to incorporate 'off time'-the outward breath, the ebb-into our working patterns. Not with simple lip-service like 'you need to sleep better,' but as an integral, affirmed part of the process of working...
We need to understand that 'on' is impossible without 'off,' and that the distance between the two needs to be made closer: like the beats of a heart or the steps of a runner."
</blockquote>
The question, then, is how to make unplugged time that a part of your team's culture. Luckily, <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/3013178/unplug/why-youre-sleeping-with-your-smartphone">we have answers</a>.
<a href="http://blog.bufferapp.com/optimal-work-time-how-long-should-we-work-every-day-the-science-of-mental-strength">The origin of the 8 hour work day and why we should rethink it</a> Useful: <a href="https://www.ncmonline.com/fastest-web-hosting">Fastest wordpress web hosting</a> - reviews, performance tests, independent opinions. Also includes <a href="https://www.ncmonline.com">top 10 web hosting companies</a>, ranked and sorted by multiple criteria including uptime, speed, ease of use, price, disk space, bandwith and more.
</div>

Since sprints get us to focus in and finish our tasks with crisp consciousness, we know they're the most effective way of working. But what's fascinating is why they make us work so well. For Leo Widrich at Buffer, it's in human nature: while we often imagine ourselves as machines-which move linearly- we're actually organisms, which move cyclically.

Bite‑sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career

Why You Need To Unplug Every 90 Minutes

Work Cycles

90 Minute Cycles

The Ultradian Rhythm

Unplug after 90 Minutes

Master Your Time: 5 Daily Scheduling Methods to Bring More Focus to Your Day

The Science of Breaks at Work: Change Your Thinking About Downtime

Use these 5 scheduling methods when a to-do list just isn't working

Bite‑sized knowledgeto upgradeyour career

Why You Need To Unplug Every 90 Minutes

Work Cycles

90 Minute Cycles

The Ultradian Rhythm

Unplug after 90 Minutes

Master Your Time: 5 Daily Scheduling Methods to Bring More Focus to Your Day

The Science of Breaks at Work: Change Your Thinking About Downtime

Use these 5 scheduling methods when a to-do list just isn't working

Bite‑sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career