Relying on Our Internal Clock

We Work Best When We Honor Our Internal Clock

I’ve seen a number of posts lately asking people about the time of day they work best. I, for one used to find those who insisted we all work best at the same time of day to be short-sighted or even stupid. The truth is, we’re all individuals with different body types, metabolisms, and yes, sleep schedules. So why wouldn’t it follow we have different optimum times for productivity? I suspect few working on someone else’s schedule are honoring their internal clock.

Somehow, we’ve gotten into a mindset where the time to work is between 9 and 5 (or these days, 8 and 5, or even earlier for many). Yes, in some ways it was designed for convenience. It’s difficult to run an office when people are coming and going on their own schedules. If you need to talk to someone, they need to be on some kind of schedule so you know when to find them.  Granted, much of that has changed with the advent of email and instant messaging. Still, for some employers, old habits die hard. They want to be able to walk down the hall and connect with people in person.

I worked for a man like that who became angry if someone wasn’t where he expected them to be, meanwhile, altering his own schedule so no one knew when or if he’d even appear. He even expected the same control over my time when I did some work for him as an independent contractor after I left his employ! Needless to say, we parted ways, and I added one more type to my list of non-ideal clients.

Break the Mold, But Be Smart About It

If you’ve spent a number of years working according to someone else’s schedule, it might take a while to figure out the optimal settings for your internal clock. In all likelihood, you’ll spend some time getting up around your usual time and trying to work the same or similar hours. But ultimately, you start listening to your internal clock and recognizing the time of day you’re most focused and are at your productive peak.

Being a bit of a rebel, I didn’t do things in the usual way. I knew I accomplished more writing late at night, partially because I’d trained myself to do so when I had my daughters at home. I was more productive after they went to bed because I had to be. Granted, I could also have gotten up earlier in the morning to write or get things done without my daughters’ interruptions, but the one thing I knew for sure was I’m not a morning person (unless of course the morning hours are before I’ve gone to bed).

For a number of months, I allowed myself to sleep as late as I wanted. I would not recommend doing that. Not only was I sluggish and lazy, it’s taken me a whole lot longer to get into a regular writing schedule, figure out where I wanted my business to go, and how I wanted to get there. It wasn’t until I began setting the alarm for 8 and maybe hitting snooze a few times that I got serious about posting regularly on my blog and website, working out 3 times a week, and finding a coach to help me clarify who I wanted to work with, why, and in what capacity. Clearly, my internal clock was happy again.

Take the Lesson and Leave the Stupid Stuff Behind

I went off the deep end a bit regarding being on my own time, and as a result, became a bit of a sloth. Still and all, we do things because we need to learn something, even if what we learn is that we have to tighten up a schedule that impacts only ourselves.

I also learned it’s important to build flexibility into my day. Sometimes I meditate at 3 or 4, other times, 10 or 11, and others, 1 or 2. Nowadays, it all comes down to stopping points. If I wake at 8 or 8:30, spend until 9:30 writing morning pages, feeding cats, making breakfast, and checking email, then write for an hour or two, my stopping point will likely be lunch time. Then again, it might not, and that’s OK for me.

Schedules Are As Unique as Work Times

I know others need a very specific schedule. Some I know have very tight blocks of time in which they do certain things. They’re also the ones who typically get up at 5 or 5:30 in the morning. As far as I’m concerned, my heart doesn’t start beating until after 8!

I tried blocking out time for this or that and nearly drove myself bonkers. I almost never managed to do things on schedule. Ultimately I realized I’m not the block schedule type, and I’ve adjusted to what works. I’m getting a lot more done and feeling far more accomplished as a result.

What works best for me now is setting weekly or daily tasks. So many chapters, so many blog posts, certain projects for one client or another. I’m not trying to finish anything within a certain amount of time. If I get it done quickly, fine. It’s on to something else. If it takes a little longer, that’s OK too. As long as I’m seeing progress, I’m on schedule. Most of the time, I finish the projects ahead of time anyway.

Rewarding Ourselves for a Job Well Done

Case in point was the re-write of my memoir. After a couple of false starts and interruptions by tragedy and natural disaster, I set a completion date for the re-write, and put dates on the re-write for each chapter knowing I’d do multiple chapters on some days and none on others. In the end, I finished the re-write a week ahead of schedule and was able to get my blogs written for the next couple of weeks again. I’ve since given myself an even more aggressive goal for pre-scheduled blogs—because I can.

And maybe that’s why my flexible schedule works so well for me. I have a tendency to beat my deadlines, leaving time and space to work on beating more of them. It’s a bit of a game for me. Let’s see how far ahead I can get on Project A. When I get there, I reward myself by spending time getting ahead on Project B. For some it’s food or treats, for me, it’s more writing or books.

Forget What Works for “Everyone”. Find What Works for You!

I encourage you to play around with your schedule and maybe even keep a log for a couple of weeks to see when you work best. Also play around with how you schedule your work to figure out what motivates you best. Like writing, some of us are plotters (planners), and others are pantsers (preferring a looser framework). The beauty of being in charge of your own schedule is it only has to work for you so you get to customize it any way you see fit.

Life isn’t a one-size-fits-all proposition. Why should we have to work with a one-size-fits-all schedule?

 

About the Author

Sheri Conaway is a writer, blogger, ghostwriter, and advocate for cats. Sheri believes in the Laws of Attraction, but only if you are a participant rather than just an observer. Her mission is to Make Vulnerable Beautiful and help entrepreneurs touch the souls of their readers and clients so they can increase their impact and their income. If you’d like to have her write for you, please visit her Hire Me page for more information. You can also find her on Facebook Sheri Levenstein-Conaway Author. And check out her new group, Putting Your Whole Heart Forward.

Be sure to watch this space for news of the upcoming release of “Life Torn Asunder: Rebuilding After Suicide”.