Everyone has a prime time when their performance is at its peak. For every individual, energy levels tend to drop at certain times of the day, and is usually high at some other times. You need to study your productive energy barometer to determine your peak performance period.

Our normal 9-to-5 work system was informed by the fact that people receive fresh energy after a good night’s sleep and are thus ready to work for eight hours. It is the same reason schools resume in the morning and close late afternoon.

The essence of the lunch break in-between our work and academic activities is to allow us to eat, rest for a while, regain lost energy and resume work at a relatively high level of productivity. At the close of work or school, we are already tired and eager to go home to rest.

For me, a typical night bird, I perform better after midnight hours. I am at my best working or praying between 12 midnight and 4am. After engaging myself during these wee hours, I get exhausted and ready to sleep. Thereafter, despite being an insomniac, sleep comes to me naturally. When I hit the bed, I sleep like a baby till 7am or thereabouts.

During the day, my energy level drops and I do no more than hold meetings, watch television, read books and go on the web to see what’s happening in the Internet universe. If you are like me, you’d do well working on a night shift; any nighttime duty would just be ideal for you. You won’t have to struggle to meet your production target if you work in a factory. You’d definitely be a misfit if you find yourself working during the day on a job that calls for peak performance at an intellectual level.

In choosing a vocation, you ought to know your peak performance energy level per time in order to maximise your productive capacity. Like humans, some flowers bloom at night while other plants go dead at night hours only to flourish once they receive sunlight. We were created differently. You have to carefully study yourself to determine what time of the day you habitually deliver peak performance. Some people achieve full mental alertness after midnight when others are asleep. Others are fully alert in the early hours of the day. It varies with individuals. It depends on your make-up, your constitution.

No one is fully alert or energetic in their entire waking hours. That is not possible. Energy level varies like temperature. In fact, energy tends to be regulated by weather conditions. It seems that intellectual output is greater in temperate weather conditions, while hot weather is not conducive to mental output. The discomfort in hot weather conditions is one of the reasons people work in air-conditioned offices. The ergonomics of the workplace is designed to give us the comfort necessary for efficient service delivery.

In extremely cold weather conditions, physical activities are often more difficult because of the absence of sunshine, which is the principal stimulant of human energy. It is because night time is cooler that nature sleeps at night. Plants, animals and humans sleep at night because it is cooler, while we all are naturally active during the day, except for a few individuals.

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What we are dealing with here is that energy levels should be clearly identified and related to specific periods of the day, when peak performance is naturally achieved by individuals. It is a wise thing to do so that you maximise your productivity. A perfect understanding of peak performance is what undergirds service delivery.

You may be mentally strong at noon, or during evening hours when others are fagged out. You may be the type who is more mentally productive just before going to bed. Thereafter, you are ready for bed because of fatigue. Once you understand how you fare, you can always arrange your daily schedule to suit your nature. You can then easily identify the job that fits your energy level naturally.

When you fully understand this, it would be easier to plan. You know when to receive visitors, and how much time you can give to work, leisure, rest, shopping and every other activity. Understanding your productive energy behaviour enables you to manage your time efficiently. You get things done; your life would be under control and you would enjoy a well-organised life.

There is no point struggling to perform every time because of wrong application of energy. Nightclub workers, and Yoruba social musicians, for instance, work at night and sleep during most of the day. If you want to do business with them, you better catch them at night wherever they operate. Men of power, especially elite politicians, operate at night. Some of the major decisions of state are made at crucial nocturnal meetings at the government lodges. They do that because of the distractions of the daytime, especially from people who lobby for political patronage.

Whatever the case, it pays to know how you function best and plan your life around it so that you can always be counted as a peak performer. I guess that is why some people excel, almost at will, while others seem to be habitual mediocre performers.

Weekend spice: Winning is everything, not only in sport but in life – Fernando Alonso

Ok folks, let’s do again next Friday. Stay motivated.

•Ayodeji is an author, rights activist, pastor and life coach. He can be reached for mentoring and counselling on 09059243004 (SMS and WhatsApp only)