Studies show some people simply are wired to wake up early in the morning while others are night owls. The difference has to do with what time of day you have the most energy, focus and creativity.
One researcher aimed to change his night owl ways by waking up early and forcing himself to work out and get a dozen things done by 8 a.m. In the end, he determined early risers aren’t necessarily more productive, they just get stuff done earlier in the day.
There are a couple of tips that could help your productivity, whether you’re an early bird or night owl. First of all, don’t work against the grain; try to create a work schedule that accentuates your most productive hours during the day. For example, night owls may be more productive if they plan their daily workload the night before.
Second, “time block” what you want to get done and at what time of day. This means responding to emails and making calls during your least productive time of day and scheduling projects that need more time and concentration during your most focused time of day — even if it’s late at night.
And finally, if you employ a to-do list, break it up into two columns: “now” and “later.” The now column is for things you must absolutely get done today, and later is for tasks to complete at some point during the week. This saves you from having to rewrite the same tasks (that never get done) every day and helps ensure they get done by the end of the week.
