How to Establish a Good Daily Rhythm

Is perfect timing a real thing? According to Daniel Pink, when it comes to productivity, the answer is yes. In his #1 bestselling book titled When, Daniel explains that timing is not an art, as many people think. Rather, it’s a science. Inspired by When, this article will focus on how to optimally structure your day so that you can work smarter and live better. 

Your daily pattern

In a single day, the majority of people experience three stages in this order: 

• Peak: our mood, productivity, and focus is at their highest in the morning 
• Trough: our mood, productivity, and focus decline in the early to mid-afternoon
• Recovery: our mood, productivity, and focus experience an up-tick in the early evening

Other people, however, experience their day in reverse: recovery, trough, and peak. The order in which you experience these stages depends on your chronotype, or your natural biological rhythm.

Understanding your chronotype 

Most people consider themselves to be either morning people (“larks”) or evening people (“owls”). Daniel suggests, however, that the majority of us are somewhere in between (“third birds”). Understanding your chronotype can help you schedule your day for peak performance.

So, how can you tell which type you are? Here’s a simple exercise Daniel shares to make the determination:

1. Figure out the natural midpoint of your sleep cycle based on a day when you don’t have to wake up to an alarm.
2. If your midpoint of sleep is 3:30 a.m. or earlier, you’re likely a lark.
3. If your midpoint is 5:30 a.m. or later, you’re probably an owl.
4. If your midpoint is somewhere in between, chances are you’re a third bird.

Planning your day for optimal performance

It’s important to understand your chronotype because, depending on your type, the times when you do your best work will differ.

Larks:

This chronotype tends to follow a daily pattern of peak, trough, and recovery. If you’re a lark:

• Early mornings are the best time to do analytical work that requires focused attention, as well as make decisions.
• Morning is the best time to make an impression.
• Late afternoon to early evening is the best time to engage in insightful or creative tasks.

Third birds:

This chronotype also tends to follow a daily pattern of peak, trough, and recovery. If you’re a third bird:

• Early to midmorning is the best time to do analytical work that requires focused attention, as well as make decisions.
• Morning is the best time to make an impression.
• Late afternoon to early evening is the best time to engage in insightful or creative tasks.

Owls: 

This chronotype tends to follow the opposite daily pattern of the above two chronotypes. If you’re an owl:

• Morning is the best time to do insightful or creative tasks and make an impression.
• Late afternoon and evening are the best times to do analytical work that requires focused attention, as well as make decisions.

Once you’re aware of your chronotype, you can use that information to plan your days for success.

If you want to learn more about chronotypes, make sure to pick up a copy of When by Daniel Pink. It’s an excellent read with much more interesting information about how to best structure your day and life.

Creating a good daily rhythm

Knowing when you function at your best is a great way to structure your day.

Waking up

I set a sunrise-imitating alarm clock for 7 a.m. every morning to keep my circadian rhythm regular. This also allows me to have enough time in the morning to wake up slowly while still having time for focused work.

Enjoying the morning

I like to take a moment in the morning to enjoy the day before starting any work. For me this means eating some breakfast while sitting on my porch enjoying the early rays of sunshine. I try to do a 3-page stream of consciousness journaling session after that to clear my brain.

Early morning for focused work

Next up I always do my most important work early in the morning. That’s when I find that I do my best, focused work.

I like to protect my morning time by limiting contact with others, as this allows me to better focus on my thoughts and ideas. I also like doing creative things in the morning, but I sometimes find that my best ideas come later in the day.

Afternoons for socializing and resting

I use afternoons for meetings and anything that involves spending time or communicating with others.

Most of my meetings are not that intense so that works well for me. However, if I have a particularly important meeting, for example, a job interview, I would schedule it for the morning.

Once I’m done with work for the day, I take some time to rest and get outdoors.

This is a daily rhythm that works great for me. However, keep in mind that I am a “third bird”. For someone who is an “owl”, they would probably need to do almost the opposite.

Conclusion

Once you know and understand your unique internal clock, you can use that knowledge to your advantage by planning your days accordingly. Following your daily rhythm can help you do the right thing at the right time — with less effort. Creating a good rhythm can make the day both less stressful and more enjoyable!