When

In yesterday’s post, I reviewed The Culture Code, by Daniel Coyle, which is one of the books my colleagues and I received in our first package from The Next Big Idea Club.  Today, I would like to talk about the second book, When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, by Daniel Pink.

When shares the intriguing research that has been done about how success and failure can often hinge on temporal choices.  With intriguing real-life examples weaved in with scientific documentation, Pink shows us how we can give ourselves incredible advantages by conceding that our brains and bodies are extremely influenced by our internal clocks.

In this book, Daniel Pink demonstrates many direct implications of this research for education.  For example, he cites a Danish study that established an increase in standardized test scores after students took 20-30 minute breaks.  He also devotes a section of his book to the importance of recess, emphasizing that students should receive several breaks throughout the day (Finland gives their students a 15-minute break every hour).  Teachers, according to Pink, should also get breaks for themselves by alternating monitoring duties during these times.

School start times, something that seems to have been in the news quite a bit lately, also have a dedicated section in When.  Implementing later start times for teens is highly recommended, and has been shown to improve attendance and academic performance.  Are you in college?  “The optimal time for more college classes is after 11 a.m.”  (That explains so much about my college experience!)

In When, you will find not only advice on optimal times of day to be productive, but suggestions for

the different strategies to use in the changing stages of a project – and of our lives.  You will learn about the science of endings and why, “Choral singing might be the new exercise.”  There are many applications for education, but even more for living your best life.

When is the perfect companion to The Culture Code, as both books highlight the need for aligning purpose with thoughtful actions as well as the value of connecting with others.