They say we all have the same 24 hours in a day, yet it’s how you choose to use that time that makes a difference. Most adults work for 8 or more hours a day, yet some struggle to actually get their work done during that time.
The rhythms of our bodies affect how focused we are at various points in the day, and understanding what your unique rhythm is can help you be more productive.
Workers can be more productive in less time once they figure out if they’re a ‘lark’ or an ‘owl.’
Everyone has a specific chronotype, or body clock that regulates when they feel awake and when they feel tired.
Because chronotype determines your sleep time and wake time, adapting your lifestyle to your specific clock can improve your energy levels and overall mood, which help you get through the day.
Larks have more energy in the mornings, while owls have more energy at night.
About 10% of people are larks and about 20% of people are owls, and the rest fall somewhere in the middle.
Adapting your work schedule to fit your body clock can help you be more productive with the time you have.
For people who are definitely on the lark or owl side of the spectrum, forcing yourself into the 9 to 5 structure might not be the most beneficial way to get your job done.
If your job allows you to structure your days outside of regular business hours, you can lean into your lark or owl tendencies and get your work done when you have the most energy.
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People who have more rigid jobs may have less opportunity to shift their workflow, but having a stronger understanding of their body clock can illuminate their personal patterns when it comes to how they work best.
Knowing your body clock can help you be more productive.
Larks can benefit from their early-bird energy by taking on their toughest tasks in the morning and relegating tasks that require less brain power to later in the day when their energy might be fading.
Owls can stop putting so much pressure on themselves to get the hard parts of their job done first by tackling them later in the evening when their body clock is fully tuned in and turned on.
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Chronotype is what causes a person to feel more awake at various points in the day. Some people have chronotypes that don’t naturally fit with what their schedule demands of them, leading them to have what’s called social jetlag.
Our body clocks are determined mostly by genetics. Because they’re a more permanent feature of how our bodies operate, scientists believe it’s almost impossible to change our body clocks on purpose.
Yet our chronotypes can naturally change over time. Most young kids are larks with early body clocks. In adolescence, their body clocks get pushed back, leading them to become night owls who have a hard time waking up by 7 a.m. for school.
As we enter adulthood, our chronotypes shift back over time, so the older we get, the earlier we rise.
We might not be able to completely change our work hours, but we can reorganize how we work to better suit our body clocks.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango’s news and entertainment team. She covers social issues, pop culture and all things to do with the entertainment industry.
