Given all of the recent studies showing that the average attention span is on the decline, it is somewhat surprising that many employers still expect consistent productivity over the course of an eight- or 10-hour day. Many offices have installed measures to eradicate time-wasting activities, but perhaps these employers should simply work to make each job a “one-hour job.”
What many do not realize is that there are a number of professional opportunities that are, in reality, one-hour jobs. Dentistry is one example, as dentists and dental assistants typically work on patients in easily manageable blocks of 30 to 60 minutes.
The same can be said for educators like Adam Kutner. While the school day may seem long from an outsider’s perspective, each class is typically no longer than 60 minutes, with many concluding after 45 minutes. Each class is followed by a brief break, and then the lesson is repeated to the next set of students.
There are countless other examples, but employers seeking increased productivity should explore ways to break up the projects their employees work on into easily managed segments lasting no longer than one hour. Employers would also benefit from adopting a more creative and inviting atmosphere was well, as the traditional workspace may stifle productivity.