I started logging my productivity a year ago; some days I do more, some days I do less.
And then, there are those rare few days, when in the course of a single day, I achieve more, than on any other given week. I call these "sparkles of productivity", and in the last year, I had about 4 of them (give or take).
So, my question is: what was your most productive day, and what, if any, internal, or external event might have triggered it?
My most productive days are usually after a long break from coding in particular or even being online. Being free of disruptions however is the single biggest factor to getting into "the zone".
Frank Wiles, Revolution Systems, www.revsys.com
For me, it's when:
My most productive days are those where the work I have to do is interesting, and I have vast swathes of uninterrupted time available. I find I can get into a flow state when I'm not worrying about other non-related tasks, and I have everything I need to hand (coffee / pen / paper / whiteboard / etc).
I don't really subscribe to any GTD process.
It almost always happens when I get really excited about putting together some cool idea. The feeling is usually gone by the next day, though, so don't put it off.
Oddly, for the last two months, i've been far more productive at coding and debugging type work from about 11pm to 4am. Though i've always kept "astronomers' hours" (or "artists' hours" if you prefer), this is late even by my standards! In contrast, i do artwork best in the late morning.
Things like productive hours can change from year to year. It's important to find one's rhythm but that can be hard i you're tied to business or school hours. Imagine a world where everyone has found their best times, no one ever has to force themselves to work on something they're not in tune with, and creativity and thinking are treated with reverence and not industrial processes to be scheduled...