‘Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise’, right? Hmm… I tend to think you’re either a morning person or you’re not. Anyone that knows me knows that I am definitely a morning person; by mid-afternoon I’m ready for siesta, always have been that way. That’s why I write my blogs around 5am, usually but not today.
Some of the most intelligent people I know are not morning people, and probably not even afternoon people. They seem to come alive the sun is ready to rest. Not only are they alive, they are inspired, full of energy and ideas. As for me? I’m just starting to recover from my 15-minute siesta in my office chair, and am ready to rest up for the evening – a true party animal that I am …
So, when is the best time of the day to work? Well, I can tell when it isn’t – 2pm, straight after lunch, siesta time, tummy is full, and people’s concentration levels are poor to say the least. Look around the office after lunch and you will witness a sea of agreement – drowsy nodding heads everywhere.
I know that I have actually fallen asleep in a 2pm meeting. Not surprising you say, given what I just said? It is when I tell you that there were only two people in the meeting at the time …
We all peak differently, that is the point I am trying to make. Our staff probably wonder why I have basically all meetings in the mornings, and my client calls in the afternoons (no, not during my siesta time). I peak in the mornings and am the most social in the afternoon after I have my day (somewhat) under control.
Some of our staff peak late afternoon, and perhaps well into the evening, despite our best efforts to get them to go home. The challenge then for small business (and dare I say all the business units within large businesses) is to work out who peaks – when and how to leverage that.
Not everyone will agree with me on this for sure. I have worked for managers who simply get out the whip to ensure that staff don’t peak but are consistently high performers every hour of every day …
Apologies for my sarcasm. I don’t believe beating staff into submission makes them peak performers. Giving them clear goals, and expecting to achieve them – yes, I believe in that. But to recognise that people peak at different times of the day – when they are the most alert, the most receptive, the most motivated – there is true magic in that.
I peak in the morning, so I tend to have my say then, get everything off my chest. If my colleagues are morning people, they will respond accordingly and likely do their best work then too. If not, they may well leave the most difficult and challenging part of their work until late afternoon or early evening, when they are the most productive.
For those of you who subscribe to the principles of ‘The One Minute Manager’, leave the afternoon/evening peak performers alone to do their thing at the right time of day for them. This only applies to those that simply need support or you can truly delegate to.
Some of my clients are, sadly, night owls and peak late every day. So, for them I put on my best smile and take lots of notes, knowing that I will likely have some very productive things to say … early the next morning …
So that is the real challenge for a morning person.
