Aligning Your Schedule with Your Energy Levels

People prefer a flexible workweek over a shorter one. According to a Qualtrics survey conducted in the US, a remarkable 92% of workers expressed a desire to work only four days a week. However, what did people value even more than working fewer hours? It turns out that having more flexibility ranked higher! When employees were asked to choose between a four-day workweek and having more control over their work hours, the second option was slightly more popular, with 53% choosing flexibility over 47% for the four-day workweek.

The conventional workweek was made with the typical chronotype in mind. The 9am to 5pm work schedule was designed to accommodate the majority of people (approximately 65% of individuals fall into the "Middle Birds" category). If you happen to belong to the remaining 35% (either as an "Early Bird" or a "Night Owl"), a flexible work schedule is likely to be most beneficial for you.

If this describes your situation, don't hesitate to request a flexible schedule that aligns with your energy patterns.

Have you ever come across a real-life example? In 2019, after attending one of my courses, one of my direct reports shared that he was an Early Bird, with his peak energy occurring in the early morning. He explained that he spent his early mornings preparing for and commuting to work, which he considered a waste of his peak energy time (a sentiment I shared). He proposed working from home three mornings a week: focusing on deep work from 7 to 9 am, beginning his daily routine at 9 am (cutting his commute time in half), and starting his workday at the office just before 10 am.

My response was an enthusiastic "Go for it!" This change allowed him to be more productive, and eventually, we expanded his flexible schedule to all working days.

A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Achieve Similar Flexibility:

• If your job allows for a flexible schedule, consider crafting a proposal to align your work hours with your energy levels. Your proposal should encompass the following elements:

  1. Background: Present data that supports your energy patterns, such as the results of a chronotype test

  2. Frame it as an experiment: Propose a short-term experiment, spanning 2-3 days a week over a 4-week period. During this time, you'll adjust your work's start and end times to align with your energy levels and focus on deep work. You can refer to it as a "pilot" to reassure your manager that it's not a long-term commitment.

  3. Address the main concern: Emphasize that you'll still have ample overlapping hours to collaborate effectively with the rest of the team.

  4. Success criteria: Commit to delivering incremental results based on this schedule change.

• After the 4-week period, present your results, which are likely to be positive due to the fact that you are eliminating distractors during peak energy times: This is likely to lead to a state of flow, enhancing productivity (The famous Zone from the movie Soul)

• Important Note: Avoid proactively suggesting extending the experiment to the rest of the team. Not everyone shares your chronotype, and managing different schedules could overwhelm your manager. It's acceptable to prioritize your own needs in this context.

Already have a flexible (maybe Hybrid) schedule? My assumption is that you may not be actively blocking your peak times from distractions (meetings, emails). So consider employing a similar approach as outlined above to propose a designated "Do Not Disturb" time with your manager. (Maybe blocking you 10am-Noon daily can be a good experiment to try out!)

Go break the mold,

Jorge Luis Pando