Are you an early bird or night owl?
By nature, I’m a night owl. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve gone through my early bird seasons but my energy eventually always finds the evening.
This has always been a strain for me in life.
I borderline hated things I used to have to do. Things like attending meetings/appointments in the morning, making calls early because of business hours, morning traffic, etc.
According to Daniel Pink, our society runs according to an early bird’s clock.
That’s too bad for us night owls. The good news is that science is starting to defend us night owls by learning more about key differences between each circadian rhythm.
Chronobiology
Chronobiology is the study of circadian rhythms.
We each have a biological clock baked into our organs and tissues. Not only that but circadian rhythm changes as we age.
For example, children tend to have more energy in the morning, teens in the evenings, and as we mature in age, we slowly revert back to earlier energy levels. That explains the old people you see drinking coffee with each other at McDonald’s at 5am.
You might think chronobiology only affects when we eat, exercise and sleep but it bleeds into more than that. It affects things like productivity, decision-making, and creativity — these things affect people around you.
One study found that jurors relied more on stereotypes and racial biases in the afternoon than they did in the morning. That’s not good if you’re an innocent minority getting tried in the afternoon.
What can you do?
There’s so much I could point out about how unfair the world can be because of timing bias. What are we to do?
My advice is to learn your chronotype, figure out how it works for or against you, and make lifestyle adjustments accordingly.
For example, if you’re in a relationship and you know your partner is a night owl, then avoid addressing issues in the morning. If you’re an early bird, then you should probably exercise first thing in the morning. There are plenty of things you can adjust.
You can learn more about chronobiology and perfect timing by checking out these resources:
- When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel Pink
- Jordan Harbinger Show: Daniel Pink | When Is the Best Time to Get Things Done?
How about you? Are you a night owl or early bird? How has it affected you and those around you?
Reply and let me know!
Luis