Despite evidence to the contrary, we have a tendency to assume our levels of productivity, motivation, and focus will remain the same all day.
As a result, we set ourselves up for frustration and failure by planning our work without considering our typical patterns of energy, focus, and productivity.
We underestimate “how much our emotional and physical states will affect our future decisions and ability to do the things we want to do.” Jory MacKay, Why You Keep Giving “Future You” Too Much Work. When we do so, we schedule our most difficult work for when we have the least energy and motivation.
We All Have Different “Biological Prime Times” That Have a Major Impact On Our Productivity
We need to know when our biological prime time is.
I have my highest levels of energy in the morning. I know that I usually do my best work in the morning. In the afternoon, my energy level takes a nosedive. By evening, my mental gas tank is on empty.
My wife is the opposite. She’s a night owl. When I’m exhausted and ready to crash at 10 pm, she’s often just getting started. At times, she’ll stay up until 2 am reading.
Hyperfocus is most effective during your peak energy times—I call these your Biological Prime Time (BPT), and the precise times of day differ for everyone.
Chris Bailey, Hyperfocus
Perhaps you read a productivity book that encouraged readers to get up at 5 every day to start working. They promised that if you did this, you’d experience a tremendous surge in your productivity and focus.
You tried it for a couple of weeks and you failed miserably. You went back to your usual habit of getting up at 8, taking your time eating and preparing for your day, and not really getting busy until late morning.
The author’s advice didn’t work for you because the morning is not your biological prime time.
Most of us instinctively know when our biological prime time is. If you’re not certain, keep a journal for a couple of weeks and note what times of the day you have the most focus and energy. You’ll likely see a pattern emerge.
Plan Your Work to Fit Your Personal Biological Prime Time
We need to schedule our work to take advantage of our biological prime times.
“The most productive people don’t just manage their time well, they also manage their energy and attention well. Rearranging your day around when you have the most energy is one simple way to work smarter instead of just harder.” The Productivity Project, by Chris Bailey.
Since my Biological Prime Time is in the mornings, I need to schedule work that takes more focus and energy for the morning, not the afternoon or evening. I schedule writing and planning for my mornings.
In the afternoon, I often take a short nap (30 min) to recharge my flagging energy. I try to schedule less demanding work in the afternoon, such as reading, training, and admin activities. I typically don’t schedule any work in the evenings.
Use Time Blocking to Schedule Your Work Around Your Biological Prime Time
Time Blocking can help you be more intentional in scheduling your work. Time blocking is planning your work by determining what you’re going to work on, and when you’ll be working on it.
You can use a digital tool as a digital calendar to time block, or a piece of paper that you fill out the night before or first thing in the morning. All you need is to list blocks of time (usually in 1-hour increments) and what you’ll be doing during those blocks of time.
Deliberately schedule your most important and demanding tasks during your Biological Prime Time. Fill in the less productive times with tasks that take less focus and energy.
When you schedule your time it doesn’t mean you can’t or won’t make changes. It’s just a plan, and life happens. You can divert from your plan when necessary and no one is going to call the scheduling police. When things come up that you didn’t anticipate, it’s perfectly fine to change your plans.
For more information about time blocking, see How to Use Time Blocking for Productivity: 18 Practical Ways, by Jayson DeMers, and Hyper-Scheduling Feedback, by David Sparks.
Identify Your Biological Prime Time and Try Time Blocking
We all have different biological prime times that affect our productivity, motivation, and focus. It is important to identify these times and plan work accordingly. Schedule more demanding tasks during peak energy times and less demanding tasks during periods of low energy.
Time blocking can be a helpful tool in scheduling work intentionally around these prime times. Managing energy and attention is key to working smarter, not just harder.
If you haven’t done so already, identify your biological prime time. Then try time blocking to schedule your most demanding tasks for your high-energy times.