WHEN: The Science Behind Timing by: Daniel Pink

In case you are not aware, I am a huge fan of Daniel Pink. He is an author of several books including the New York Times bestsellers, Drive, To Sell is Human, and a Whole New Mind. Pink’s TED Talk on the science of motivation is one of the 10 most-watched TED Talks of all time, with more than 20 million views. His RSA Animate video about the ideas in his book, Drive, has collected more than 14 million views. I am currently reading his newest book, WHEN The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing. All of Pink's books have applications in the work that we do in education. I am intrigued by his newest book and the potential positive implications if we implement some of his ideas.

His newest book takes a look at scientific "secrets" of the best timing to help you be as successful as possible in areas of work, school, and home. Pink talks about the hidden patterns of our everyday lives. Analyzing research and patterns across the globe, there is a pattern in our everyday life where our positive mood rises, dips, and rises again. In the same way, our processing of certain types of tasks can be greatly influenced by the time of day that we are tackling them. In When The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, Pink highlights three conclusions: "First, our cognitive abilities do not remain static over the course of a day. During the sixteen or so hours we're awake, they change often in a regular, foreseeable manner. We are smarter, faster, dimmer, slower, more creative in some parts of the day than others." "Second, these daily fluctuations are more extreme than we realize." "Third, how we do depends on what we're doing." (Pink, 22)

I was fascinated to read about the implications the timing of day has on standardized test results. Pink references research compiled by Harvard's Francesca Gino and two Danish researchers where they looked at four years of test results for two million Danish children and the time of day the students took the test. Students that took the test later in the day did score significantly lower than the students that tested earlier in the day. However, Pink notes that researchers identified a way to help reduce the negative impact of testing later in the day. "Taking a test in the afternoon without a break [before the test] produces scores that are equivalent to spending less time in school each year and having parents with lower incomes and less education. But taking the same test after a twenty-to thirty-minute break leads to scores that are equivalent to students spending three additional weeks in the classroom and having somewhat wealthier and better-educated parents. And the benefits were the greatest for the low-performing students." (Pink, 57)  

I am excited to continue to read the rest of this book and identify some strategies that I can implement to improve my and my fellow colleague's work lives. I can't help but think about the timing of most of our staff meetings, late in the day typically around 3:00, when according to self reported scales referenced in the book, people report as the lowest point in the day for enjoying themselves, less warm towards other people, and are the most unhappy. That does not sound the like the most ideal time to get together and discuss challenging topics. However, if the meeting kicks off with a physical activity or "break" it could help to reset the individuals in the room. Something to think about for sure.