Let\u2019s go through a simple example. An employee living and working in San Francisco (Pacific Time Zone) gets up at 7 am. For his colleague working in New York City (Eastern Time Zone), this is already 10 am. In a way, Easterners can start their workday a bit later than Pacifiers, and still, they\u2019ll be in line with their Western coast colleagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And, what about bedtime? The Jawbone sleep tracker data, published in the Washington Post article<\/a>, show that people living in the Mountain and Pacific time zones tend to go to bed earlier than those who live in the Eastern Time Zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another point worth noting is that sunset time can vary across the USA. It ranges from 6:05 pm to 6:40 pm. But, since in America there are four time zones, this isn\u2019t a major issue. Different sunset times can be a problem in the countries where there\u2019s only one time zone – such as China. In China, the entire country is in Beijing time. However, the differences between sunrise and sunset times across the country can be up to one hour. Here\u2019s an example of the five biggest Chinese cities and their sunrise and sunset times.<\/p>\n\n\n We bet that coworkers from Shanghai and Chongqing don\u2019t usually greet each other with \u201cgood morning\u201d or \u201cgood evening\u201d during online video calls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, why do later sunrise and sunset time cause many problems? That\u2019s because researchers claim that, in the locations where the sun sets later, people tend to go to bed later<\/i>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s use China as an example one more time. Imagine there\u2019s a remote company that includes workers from Shanghai and Chongqing. Their working hours are from 8 am to 4 pm in both locations. Given the fact that the sun sets an hour later in Chongqing<\/i> than Shanghai, workers from Chongqing are more likely to go to bed later<\/i>. And, they have to get up in the morning before 8 am, let\u2019s say 6.30, just like their coworkers from Shanghai. So, who do you think will get more sleep and be better rested (and productive) in the morning? Definitely workers from Shanghai. Speaking of Chongqing<\/i>, the sun still won\u2019t rise <\/i>when they get up at 6.30<\/i>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if this seems like exaggerations, here\u2019s another fact you should know. When it comes to later bedtimes, researchers say the difference is usually around 19 minutes. So, those who live in an area with a later sunset will approximately go to bed 19 minutes later, compared to those who live in an area with earlier sunsets. If you\u2019re among those from the first category, you should probably avoid doing the math to see what these later bedtimes mean on a yearly basis. Plus, this will only disrupt your much-needed sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you open a world map, you\u2019ll see that Spain belongs to the same time zone as the UK and Portugal, meridian-wise. Surprisingly, Spain\u2019s not in this, but in the Central European Time zone (CET), like France, Germany, and even Poland, located more than 1,300 miles to the east. The Canary Islands are the only exception because, unlike mainland Spain, they use the Greenwich Mean Time zone (GMT), just like the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In order to change this, there was a parliamentary paper in 2013, which claimed that Spain has to return to the Greenwich Mean Time zone. The key issue they highlighted in this paper is sleep time in Spain. People in Spain sleep 53 minutes less<\/a> than other European countries because they\u2019re not in the correct time zone. Consequently, employees struggle to stay productive and often work late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, how did this happen? Before World War II, Spain was on GMT. However, in 1942, Spanish dictator General Francisco Franco decided to switch their time zone in order to be in line with Nazi Germany. So, Spain has stayed in the CET zone ever since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before starting to blame your time zone for \u201ceating your sleep\u201d and making you less productive, let\u2019s see what each of us can do to improve our effectiveness, regardless of our location. We\u2019ll give you some valuable productivity tips, whether you are in a remote team or working solo, as a freelancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When working in a remote team whose members are spread all over the world, one of the key issues would be dealing with diverse time zones. But, here\u2019s what you can do to make the most out of this situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1Speaking of teleworking, here\u2019s our list of the best productivity apps for remote teams.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s say that you live and work in London and your colleagues in Shanghai. Due to time differences, you won\u2019t be able to work at the same time for more than a few hours per day. That\u2019s perfectly fine as long as you communicate clearly and provide each other with all the crucial information on time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you live in London and your colleague from Shanghai depends on you and your task completion, make sure to complete your part of the job before the deadline. Moreover, you can set a reminder for the day before the deadline, so you can make all adjustments and finish the task on time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this case, the time difference is seven hours, so when you start working at 9 am, it\u2019s 4 pm for your coworker in China, so he\u2019s almost done with his work for the day. And that\u2019s why you can schedule a quick daily meeting at this moment – it\u2019s a morning call for you in London, but an afternoon call for your Shanghai colleague. This way, you\u2019ll be able to make plans for the rest of your day and for tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In general, try to have at least two hours of overlap time so that an entire team can be on the same page when it comes to projects. In the article<\/a> for Harvard Business Review, Donna Flynn, the Director of the Steelcase Workspace Future, talks about a rotating meeting schedule that works for her remote company. She explains:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEvery month, each team member now has one evening, one mid-day, and one early morning meeting, and misses one meeting that falls in the middle of their night. No team member is expected to attend a team meeting between 10 pm and 7 am.<\/i>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Being mindful of employees and their well-being means respecting their sleep time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Besides, team managers can record meetings for all those workers who haven’t been able to attend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By using these asynchronous channels of communication, you\u2019ll make sure your colleagues have all the details they need without disrupting their sleep or off-duty time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This ensures transparency within the team. More importantly, you wouldn\u2019t have to wake up your colleagues in Shanghai when you need some company\u2019s passwords or other significant information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With so many time zone apps available on the market, there\u2019s no need to calculate time differences by yourself. You can try some of these tools:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Get started with Clockify <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n In order to avoid confusion, be sure to agree on only one official time zone within the team. Then, when communicating with each other, always tell the time in that time zone. When using proper time converters, you\u2019ll convert any meeting time into your own time zone with ease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re a solo worker, you won\u2019t be dependent on others, so you can choose your own working hours<\/a>. Here are some tips on how to maximize your productivity, no matter the time zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finding the motivation to work in the morning can be tough. To help your body and mind wake up, thus prepare yourself for work, you should try taking a quick walk in the morning. Even better, boost your energy with a 30-minute workout or yoga session. This way, you\u2019ll increase your serotonin levels and feel more energized, which will surely improve your productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Plus, if you live in a location where the sun sets earlier, maybe you won\u2019t always have enough time to enjoy daylight after work. Therefore, taking advantage of your mornings will rejuvenate your mind and will ensure you have a productive workday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You probably know that unpleasant feeling when you have so many tasks to complete by the end of the day, but don\u2019t know where to start. First, think about your priority tasks (3-5 per day) and leave all the others for the rest of the week. Then, organize your daily tasks by using the time blocking<\/a> technique. Here\u2019s how to do that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want, you can add your lunch breaks to the calendar, too. Seeing a lunch break in the pile of other tasks will put a smile on your face for sure. And, if you live in a location where the sun sets later, use this to your advantage and go outside once your workday is over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"China](\"https:\/\/clockify.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/China-time.png\")
Is Spain in the wrong time zone?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to be more productive in any time zone?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re working in a remote team<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\nTop productivity tools for remote teams<\/a>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Learn how to collaborate and communicate effectively<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Use time zone tools<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Agree on one official time zone<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re a freelancer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Boost your energy in the morning before work<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Work in time blocks<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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![\"blocking-stage-the-calendar\"](\"https:\/\/clockify.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/blocking-stage-the-calendar.png\")
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