Do you know the times of day you are at your best?

When we talk about a biological clock, we often think in terms of a woman’s limited time to reproduce. This definition is not so far afield when we compare this to the hours in the day when we are most apt to produce our best work.

I hadn’t given this topic much thought until a former boss asked me for my assistance on a project. He prefaced the request by asking what hours of the day I felt I was most creative. It didn’t take much time for me to answer as I know my optimum performance occurs from early morning to noon, subsides for approximately 3 hours, and is followed by another peak period that runs through 10-11 PM. During these times, I am at my best, with clarity of thought and vision, able to produce solutions to complex problems, am more optimistic, and, though some may disagree, feel I write better. Lest you think I may be napping during my lower performance period, in actuality, this is when I try to do other activities that still need to be done (i.e., make/return phone calls, drive, file, lunch, etc.) but don’t require maximum brain power to accomplish. Think of this in terms of best managing your time.

A number of employers are beginning to recognize the importance of crafting work schedules to take advantage of the timeframes in which employees do their best work. Researchers conducting studies on links between employee behavior and flexible work hours resulted in an employee’s greater commitment to their employer and higher job satisfaction. Read more on this subject. While there is discussion as to who is behind the 8 am – 5pm workday and why it was set-up that way, employers – and their employees – may actually reap greater benefits when employees are encouraged to work when they are most productive.