4 Ways to Make Better Decisions on What To Do and When
Readtime: 4 minutes
As senior professionals, we like to perform at a high level.
But what we really want is high performance, without feeling exhausted all the time.
To do this, we need to understand our circadian and ultradian rhythms.
We don’t want to be like most people, blindly going through the day from one thing to the next, working inefficiently and feeling even more exhausted than necessary.
Once we’ve mastered our circadian and ultradian rhythms, we will know how to structure our working day to both perform at our best and avoid exhaustion.
In this article, I’ll share four key concepts to help you make much better decisions on what to do and when.
Let’s dive in.
1. Circadian and ultradian rhythms
You're probably familiar with your own ups and downs of energy levels throughout the day. These fluctuations arise from our body's natural rhythms, which include both circadian and ultradian rhythms.
The term ‘circadian’ is derived from two Latin words: ‘circa,’ which means ‘approximately’, and ‘dies,’ which means ‘day’.
Circadian rhythms are the 24-hour cycles that regulate sleep and wakefulness, hormone levels, and other physiological processes.
The term ‘ultradian’ is derived from two Latin words: ‘ultra’, which means ‘more than’, and ‘dies’, which means ‘day.’
Ultradian rhythms are lesser known, and are the shorter cycles that occur more than once a day, such as the natural fluctuations in attention and alertness that occur typically every 20 to 90 minutes.
Both circadian and ultradian rhythms significantly impact our performance during the day via brain activity, hormone levels and heart rate.
2. Are you a Lark, Owl, or Hummingbird?
There are three main types of circadian rhythm (known as chronotypes).
Larks (morning types) typically feel most alert and productive in the morning and may start to feel sleepy earlier in the evening.
Owls (evening types) may feel sluggish in the morning but tend to become more alert and productive as the day goes on.
Hummingbirds (intermediate types) fall somewhere in between, with energy levels that are relatively consistent throughout the day.
Some intermediate types may experience a gradual rise in energy levels throughout the morning and early afternoon, with a peak in energy levels in the late afternoon or early evening. This pattern is sometimes called a "slow-build" rhythm, and is more common among people who naturally wake up earlier in the morning.
Other intermediate types may experience a more sudden spike in energy levels in the morning, followed by a dip in energy levels in the mid-afternoon, before experiencing a second peak in energy levels in the late evening. This pattern is sometimes called a "double-peak" rhythm, and is more common among people who naturally wake up later in the morning.
You can find out your own chronotype by taking a Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ).
3. What ultradian rhythm do you have?
Researchers have categorised three main types of ultradian rhythms: basic rest-activity cycle (‘BRAC’), the 60-90-minute cycle, and the 20-minute cycle.
The BRAC has a natural ebb and flow of energy levels throughout the day. It involves a period of high energy followed by a period of low energy, and this cycle repeats itself multiple times throughout the day.
The 60-90-minute cycle has a roughly 60-90-minute period of increased mental alertness and focus, followed by a brief period of decreased alertness and an inclination to take a break. This cycle repeats itself throughout the day. It is particularly relevant for people engaged in mentally demanding work.
The 20-minute cycle has a roughly 20-minute period of intense focus and productivity, followed by a brief period of reduced focus and the need for a break. It is particularly relevant for people engaged in creative or physical work.
If you’re not sure which one you have, set yourself a timer at the start of some mentally demanding work, and then when you start to get distracted, or feel like you need a break, make a note of how long has elapsed.
Take a short break of between a few minutes and up to 20 minutes, depending on how long you have been going for and how much time you think you need to feel ready to start again.
Do this a few times a day, on different days, and you will build up a pattern and be able to identify which category you are in.
4. How to take advantage of these rhythms to maximise performance
To operate at a high level and not exhaust ourselves, we want to work with our biology, not against it.
Here’s when to do your most demanding work:
I am a Lark on a roughly 60-minute cycle. I schedule my most mentally demanding work for the morning, e.g. coaching and writing, and less demanding activity in the afternoon, e.g. catch-up meetings, admin.
When I was a partner at KPMG, the most important part of my job was reviewing work that my teams had produced. My assistant and I had two main rules for my diary – my reviews were to take place in the morning, and meetings (which were generally less demanding) were to take place in the afternoon.
In Summary
Find out your own chronotype and ultradian rhythm
Schedule your day (as much as you can) to take advantage of your times of peak energy
Congratulations, you now know how to leverage your biology to be even more effective, with less exhaustion.
I would love to hear your thoughts. Please email me at coaching@mostynwilson.com.
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