Find out the very best time to work, based on your chronotype

What’s the easiest way to boost your productivity? According to Time Wise by Amantaha Imber, it’s not as complicated as you might think.

By implementing a few small changes, you can vastly improve your efficiency to get more done in less time. Outlined in the book is one simple concept that can make a world of difference: working based on chronotype.

But what is a chronotype?

How do you find yours?

And, most importantly, how do you shape your day around it?

Read on to find out.

What is chronotype

Put simply, your chronotype is the natural 24-hour cycle that influences your energy throughout the day. We all experience peaks and troughs of energy, but depending on your chronotype, this cycle follows a different pattern for each person.

Different sources name between two and six chronotypes, but Time Wise outlines three of the most prominent:

• Larks are stereotypical ‘morning people’. They happily jump out of bed at or before sunrise without having had to set an alarm. You will recognise larks as those smug members of the 5 am club that you see posting on social media about how much they have achieved before everyone else has dragged their sloth-like bodies towards the first coffee of the day.
• Owls sit at the other end of the chronotype continuum. They represent around 20 per cent of the population. As the name suggests, they come to life at night.
• Everyone else is a middle bird: they are neither bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning, nor burning the candle well into the night. Middle birds tend to follow the rhythms of a lark, albeit delayed by a couple of hours.

When to work based on chronotype

While distinguishing these chronotypes might sound like an excuse to stay up late or brag about your 5am runs, research shows that working around chronotype patterns can be extremely beneficial. ‘It turns out that understanding our chronotype and structuring our work around it makes us a whole lot happier (not to mention a lot more productive) at work,’ writes Imber.

So, when should you buckle down, and when should you lighten up on work?

These basic guidelines should give you a general idea of how to break up your day for maximum productivity.

For Larks

• Deep work: 7 – 10/11am
• Shallow/light work: 11am – 2pm
• Rebound (for additional deep work): 2 – 4pm

For middle birds

• Deep work: 9am – 12pm
• Shallow/ light work: 12pm – 2/3pm
• Rebound (for additional deep work): 3 – 5pm

For owls

• Deep work: 4pm onwards
• Shallow/ light work: 1 – 4pm
• Rebound (for additional deep work) 10am – 1pm

About Time Wise

Love this tip? There’s more where that came from in Time Wise.

In the book, you’ll find many more helpful suggestions for making the most of your time. By interviewing more than 150 bestselling authors, entrepreneurs and performers, author Amantha Imber has compiled a guide of hacks that will transform your life.

Divided into easy-to-read chapters, each piece of advice will help you level up your life, and in no time, you’ll be running in the ranks of the world’s most effective people.

Pre-order it now to secure your copy ahead of the 5 July 2022 release date.