Jerry Seinfeld talked about the morning guy hating the night guy.
Are you an early-bird or a night-owl?
The research finds that most of us are neither.
But we do have biorhythms throughout the day that rotate through three primary cycles:
1. Peak
2. Trough
3. Recovery
Peak is when we play our A Game. In Peak, we power forward and do our best work. We feel peerless and unstoppable during Peak. Peak typically occurs in the morning.
Moving out of Peak, we then hit a flat spot - Trough. In Trough, our legs feel heavy and our minds muddled. Trough slows down time and renders many of us temporarily unproductive. Trough typically occurs after lunch in early afternoon.
Recovery is after the Trough cycle passes and typically re-mobilizes us. Recovery is a second wind from our earlier Peak cycle, filling us with renewed energy, enthusiasm and clarity of mind. Recovery typically occurs mid to late afternoon for most of us.
But how does understanding Peak, Trough and Recovery help us plan our business day?
As Peak cycles typically occur in the morning, it is generally best to allocate analytical tasks in your schedule.
Trough cycles move through post- lunch so try and allocate more mundane administration and process related tasks at this time of day.
Recovery comes mid to late afternoon, so this is a great time to allocate creative tasks to finish your day positively.
Acknowledging and understanding the three cycles of Peak, Trough & Recovery can help you take advantage of these predictable biorhythms.
I recommend you focus on considering the time of day you allocate tasks or projects more strategically in future.
Tweak it to maximize your performance.
There are huge benefits in using Peak, Trough and Recovery to your advantage.
I encourage you to play with this concept and let me know your ideal mix of activities during Peak, Trough & Recovery.
Email me at darren@darrenkbourke.com to schedule a meeting (at no cost or obligation) to discuss how I can help you achieve your business and personal goals this financial year.