"The early bird gets the worm." We’ve all heardthe aphorism, but is it true? Are morning people more productive? In a word,no. There really are early birds and late owls (and people in the middle), butthere isn’t one way that’s "best". Instead, the key to productivityis to understand your own circadian rhythms and schedule your day to takeadvantage of your most productive times. Here’s how.

Think about It

The fact is, you probably already know when your mostproductive time is. Spend a few minutes considering your average day and thinkabout how you feel at each point. Do you spring out of bed, or do you need afew coffees? Do you get sleepy mid-afternoon, or are you just hitting yourstride? Do you fall asleep shortly after dinner, or do you get a rush ofinspiration as the sun goes down and work furiously into the night? Jotdown a quick graph of your daily energy ebbs and flows.

Keep a Journal

If reflecting on your usual day doesn’t help, try journalingfor a few days. Once every hour, make a note of how you are feeling and whatyou are doing. After a few days, your usual daily rhythm should start to beclear. 

Pay Attention toMealtime

The timing, quality and quantity of meals has a tremendouseffect on how focused and productive we are. Some people feel sleepy after alarge meal, while others can’t think if they are hungry.

While the basics of healthy eating are well known, eachperson’s response to food is highly individual. Scientists are working on teststhat will let them prescribe the optimum diet for each person, but until then,paying attention to your body is the best tool we have. Chances are, youalready know whether that bagel is going to fuel your day or send you into astupor. If your goal is productivity, put that knowledge to use. 

Scheduling Your Dayfor Productivity

Once you have a good idea of your best and worst times ofday, as well as how food affects your productivity, it’s time to rescheduleyour day. If possible, change your work hours to fit your most productivetimes. If that’s not possible, try to schedule your most important work foryour most alert times of day. Save your easy, repetitive work for the pre-noonhangry time or the 4PM slump.

If you know hunger affects you, stock up on healthy snacksfor work. On the other hand, if big lunches make you sleepy, have a salad andchicken breast rather than the pasta. As you make changes in your schedule,keep notes on what works and what doesn’t. Before long, you’ll have optimizedyour day for productivity.