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Using Body Clocks and Energy Cycles to Manage Your Time

You may be better able to deal with complex problems in the morning, or you may prefer to work at reflective or creative tasks in the afternoon. It's common to feel ebbs and flows of energy throughout the day. They're a result of changes in your body clock.

Your body clock

Understanding how your body clock affects your performance can help you to manage your time more effectively. Your circadian rhythm, or body clock, influences your ability to perform tasks effectively throughout the day.

Typically, an individual's circadian rhythm follows a general pattern. Of course, people are different, and you may describe yourself as a "morning person" or a "night person." But everybody's clock settles into a pattern of alertness, followed by dipping energy, and then energy recovery.

Once you know the typical pattern of energy flow, you may want to schedule your tasks a little differently. It's true you may not always be able to control the timing of your tasks. But for tasks within your control, it can be helpful to consider your natural energy rhythms when scheduling them.

Scheduling based on energy cycles

If you can match the activities you need to do to times when you are best able to do them, you will be more effective and productive in carrying out those activities. It can be useful to break time into several categories when determining when to schedule tasks based on your energy cycle:

• morning – The morning is best used for decision making and intellectually challenging tasks. Your energy levels are at their highest and you're alert, so you're able to "think on your feet" and handle difficult or complex issues. You should try to schedule meetings or conference calls for this time of the day. You should also focus on reading and analyzing information, problem solving, and getting to grips with difficult issues.
• early afternoon – Most people's energy levels begin to dip in the early afternoon. During this time – say from around 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. – you should avoid mentally challenging tasks or activities requiring active short-term memory and quick thinking. At this time of day, you generally have the highest tolerance for pain. So this is an ideal time to visit the dentist or chiropractor, or to schedule other appointments that might involve discomfort.
• late afternoon – Energy levels are generally at their lowest during the late afternoon – from around 3 p.m. up to 4:30 p.m. You should not attempt to do anything mentally taxing, such as problem solving, calculations, or attending meetings, at this time. Instead, concentrate on reflective and creative tasks. This may include thinking about issues, writing, processing information, preparing for speeches or presentations, or anything that involves using your long-term memory.
• evening – As evening begins, most people find that their energy levels begin to increase. But although your energy levels are recovering, you usually aren't as alert as you were at the beginning of the day. This is the time to undertake routine or repetitive work that requires concentration but not analytical skills. Focus on tasks such as filing, making follow-up calls, checking documentation, or capturing data. This is also a good time to do physical exercise.

Energy levels fluctuate throughout the day. Knowing how these "peaks" and "valleys" affect your ability to perform certain tasks can help you schedule your tasks in the most effective way. Generally, energy levels are highest in the morning, so this is a good time to handle difficult or complex tasks that require good short-term memory and high concentration. In the early afternoon, your energy levels start to drop, so it's best to focus on only moderately demanding tasks. By late afternoon, you have the least energy and should focus on tasks that are the easiest to complete. Afternoons lend themselves to creative tasks, processing information, or drawing on long-term memory. Energy levels are moderate in the evening, so this is a suitable time for repetitive tasks that require concentration.