Time Block for Sales Success: Using Ultradian Rhythms to Plan Your Winning Week

How Natural Brain Cycles Can Help You Plan a More Effective Sales Week

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Sales professionals often push themselves to be “always on,” thinking that more hours equals more wins. But science suggests otherwise. The brain doesn't perform at its best in a continuous grind—it functions in rhythm.

Specifically, in ultradian rhythms, or natural cycles of heightened attention that occur every 90 to 120 minutes. By aligning your daily outreach, follow-ups, and even admin time with these natural bursts of focus, you can get more done in less time—with less burnout.

What Are Ultradian Rhythms?

Ultradian rhythms refer to biological cycles that occur multiple times a day, most notably our 90-minute attention cycles. As neuroscientist Ernest Rossi observed in his research on the ultradian healing response, after about 90 minutes of focused work, the body and mind naturally crave a 20-minute break to rest and restore cognitive capacity.

This rhythm impacts productivity significantly. When ignored, it leads to fatigue and mental fog. When embraced, it enables you to work smarter—timing your most demanding tasks to when your brain is primed for deep focus.

“Our performance improves not by working harder, but by resting smarter.” — Tony Schwartz, co-author of The Power of Full Engagement

The Case for Time Blocking Your Sales Week

Time blocking—especially in sales—means scheduling your calendar in focused chunks that match your natural energy patterns. Rather than leaving your day open to distraction or reactive multitasking, you define specific 90-minute blocks for key tasks like prospecting, client calls, or CRM updates.

Consider this basic format:

Time of Day	Activity Block	Notes
9:00–10:30	Deep Work: Cold Outreach	Use email templates + personalized notes
10:30–10:50	Break: Walk, Stretch, Refuel	No screens! Recharge with movement
11:00–12:30	Follow-Ups: Warm Leads	Time for Zooms or LinkedIn follow-ups
12:30–1:30	Lunch + Recovery	Mental reset
1:30–3:00	Admin or Light Tasks	CRM updates, planning, email cleanup

Testing Your Focus Cycle

Not everyone’s rhythm is identical, so how do you identify yours? Start by tracking your energy and focus throughout the day for a week using a simple time journal or the Focusmate tool. Are you most creative mid-morning? Do you fade after 3 p.m.? Use that data to map tasks where they belong.

A recent study in Harvard Business Review found that aligning meetings and creative work with individuals’ peak cognitive hours increased productivity by up to 23%.

Building a Repeatable Weekly Pattern

The goal isn’t rigid control—it’s rhythm. By setting 4–5 core 90-minute focus blocks across your week for key sales tasks, and then rotating admin, learning, and breaks around them, you’re setting yourself up for consistency without burnout.

The Pomodoro Approach—With a Twist

Traditional Pomodoro techniques recommend 25-minute sprints and 5-minute breaks, but they can fall short for salespeople working through complex conversations or proposals. Instead, stack 3–4 Pomodoros into one 90-minute ultradian block, followed by a longer 20–30 minute recovery period.

Key Takeaways

• Ultradian rhythms can guide how and when you work best

• Time-blocking 90-minute focus sessions improves consistency

• Align outreach, follow-up, and admin to your brain’s natural rhythm

• Add strategic recovery breaks every 3–4 hours to avoid fatigue

• Build your own weekly time-block template to stay on track

Just launched your new business and need resources to ace direct marketing at lower costs with higher ROI?

Check out Salesfully’s course, Mastering Sales Fundamentals for Long-Term Success, designed to help you attract new customers efficiently and affordably.

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