{"id":11480,"date":"2019-07-02T05:00:13","date_gmt":"2019-07-02T09:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alifeofproductivity.com\/?p=11480"},"modified":"2022-09-15T02:32:34","modified_gmt":"2022-09-15T02:32:34","slug":"3-ways-to-calculate-your-peak-energy-time-of-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/3-ways-to-calculate-your-peak-energy-time-of-day\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Ways to Calculate Your Peak Energy Time of Day"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Takeaway:<\/b>You should work around your energy levels; working on more important tasks when you have the most energy, and less productive tasks when your energy dips. Below is how to calculate when your energy peaks (your \u201cbiological prime time\u201d), and a few suggestions for working around your energy levels.<\/p>\n

Estimated Reading Time:<\/b>3 minutes, 11s.<\/p>\n

Podcast Length<\/b>22 minutes, 25s.<\/div><\/div>\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Our energy-per-hour isn\u2019t consistent, and because of this, neither is our focus nor productivity.<\/strong> Luckily, though, there are a few ways to calculate exactly when you have the most energy throughout the day, so you can work around how much energy you have; doing more productive and meaningful things when you have the most energy, and less important things when your energy naturally dips. (My cohost Ardyn and I dig deep into this idea in this week\u2019s episode of Becoming Better<\/a>\u2014the link to play the episode and subscribe to the podcast is at the bottom of this post!)<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

There are three main ways to calculate when your energy peaks. Here are the best methods, inspired largely by Dan Pink\u2019s fantastic book, When<\/a><\/em>, on how to time your life:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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  1. Easy enough, and pretty accurate.<\/strong> Think about a free day\u2014the weekend, or a weekday when you don\u2019t have much to do that day or the next. Ask: when do you usually go to sleep on these days? When do you wake up? Finally, what\u2019s the midpoint of those two times? (E.g. I go to sleep at 11 p.m. and wake up at 7 a.m., so my midpoint is 3 a.m.) Find where your midpoint lies on the chart below.1<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\r\n
  2. Easy, but less accurate.<\/strong> Ask yourself what time you wake up on weekends (or free days). If it\u2019s the same as weekdays, you\u2019re likely an early riser. If it\u2019s a little later, you\u2019re probably somewhere in the middle. If it\u2019s much later, especially if it\u2019s 90 minutes or more, you\u2019re probably a night owl.<\/li>\r\n
  3. Difficult, but most accurate.<\/strong> Chart your energy levels. I recommend collecting data every hour, for two or three weeks, so you can find a general pattern. If you really want to get an accurate reading, I suggest cutting caffeine\/alcohol\/sugar during this time. Here\u2019s an article<\/a> I wrote a while back on how to calculate your \u201cbiological prime time\u201d using this method.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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    Once you find out when your energy peaks, there are a bunch of ways to work around these hours. You can:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n