How to plan the perfect work day depending on how you sleep

According to the expert-somnolog Michael Bruce, having understood his type of sleep, you can maximize the efficiency of working time.

There is a possibility that you will not start your working day without drinking a cup (or several cups) of coffee.



But, from the point of view of Michael Bruce [Michael Breus], ​​a somnologist with a professional certificate, the author of the book The Power of When, exactly when you need coffee depends on the type of sleep you have.



Bruce discovered that by the way people fall asleep and wake up, they can be divided into four types. He assigned them conditional names in honor of animals: bears, lions, wolves and dolphins. Each of them stands for "chronotype", describing the sleep patterns and energy distribution that are natural for your body. If you treat bears, then you don’t need to behave like a wolf, Bruce says, as a result of which it will be easier for you to wake up, you will be less nodding after dinner, and your working days will become more productive.

Using your sleep mode for work time planning

Bruce believes that your chronotype can help you take advantage of the natural energy flow of your body. This is how a perfect working day for bears, lions, wolves and dolphins might look.



Bears include 50-55% of people. “This group is tuned for results,” says Bruce. “They have a normal sleep schedule, but they may not have enough sleep.”



Morning: 7: 00-11: 00

• Wake up and disperse the blood with a 10-minute charge.
• Eat a light breakfast: fruit, yogurt, nuts, drink half a liter of water.
• Take 15 minutes to plan the day.
• You can drink coffee.

Maximum performance: 11: 00-18: 00

• The first period of good concentration occupy something that requires increased attention.
• When the effect of coffee passes, go buy yourself some food for dinner, and soak up the sun - it will remind your body that it is time to be ready and active.
• In the afternoon area, lunch will give you a second burst of energy for another group of tasks of high importance.
• In the area of ​​14:00 will begin an outflow of energy, but you will be in a great mood. It's time for meetings, brainstorming, and a high protein snack to help you stay out after dinner.

After work: 18: 00-22: 00

• Take a workout, given that it will be hard to start.
• After a workout, eat a light dinner, do not lean on carbohydrates.
• Time after dinner is ideal for socialization.

The end of the day: 22: 00-23: 00

• Turn off all your gadgets and start disconnecting yourself.
• Turn off the lights at 23:00. It is easy for bears to stay up late, only the next day they will have a hard time getting up.

Lions “wake up without an alarm before it rises,” explains Bruce. Lions, as individuals of type “A” , usually “send emails even before most people wake up” and make up about 15% of the population.



Morning: 5: 30-10: 00

• Lions can easily wake up at 5:30 without an alarm clock.
• Eat a high protein breakfast at 6, do not eat carbohydrates.
• Find a place for meditation - up to an hour, if you can afford it, before the others wake up.
• If you like morning fitness more instead, get into it. But even further during the day we have enough strength for it.
• Coffee will be available at 9:00.

Maximum performance: 10: 00-17: 00

• Breakfast was 3-4 hours ago. Snack something like a protein bar.
• Immerse yourself in work to complete more at the peak of productivity: morning meetings, calls, elaboration of strategic plans.
• Instead of meeting people at work at the end of the working day (by that time you will be squeezed out), arrange for a meeting at lunch.
• From 13 to 14:30, work alone, or brainstorm.
• After 3:00 PM, switch to simpler, administrative tasks — nothing detailed or requiring attention.

After work: 17: 00-21: 30

• If possible, bring out of the office at 16: 30-17: 00, because in the middle of the day you will begin to decline energy.
• It is also a great time for fitness, if you haven’t practiced it before, and it will give you a little burst of energy until the evening.
• Dinner should be balanced in protein, healthy fats and carbohydrates.

End of day: 21: 30-22: 30

• You could have the strength to spend time with your family or friends, but you shouldn’t overwork.
• Go to the side at 22:30.

Wolves represent 15–20% of the population, says Bruce. “They hate the morning and usually pause the alarm clock several times. They are late for work, and by 9 am they drink three cups of coffee. ” Wolves lean on caffeine in the morning to “overcome their wolfish inclination,” explains Bruce.



Morning: 7: 30-12: 00

• Set the alarm for 7, but allow yourself to postpone getting up for 20-30 minutes, then crawl out of bed. Enjoy this will be little, of course.
• Stand at the window and drink half a liter of water. Sunlight will help you wake up while you fill up your fluid supply.
• Wear sneakers and go for a walk or ride on a bike with a duration of 20-40 minutes. At this time, a good brainstorming session.
• Do not open emails, do not communicate with colleagues, and only sketch a to-do list for the day.
• At 11:00 you can finally drink coffee - and a few minutes of sunlight, if possible, does not hurt.

Maximum performance: 12: 00-20: 00

• Postpone the main work until lunch, until 13:00.
• By 14:00 you will be at the peak of activity. Switch to complex tasks from the list, or assemble a team for group brainstorming.
• At 17:00 you are still on the wave. Have a snack, keep working. In the early evening, the best time for creativity comes, even after some of your colleagues have already left.

After work: 20: 00-23: 00

• After finishing work, you can do fitness from 19 to 20.
• Dine at 20-21.

The end of the day: 22: 00-0: 00

• At 23:00, start turning off the gadgets.
• If you do not save, you will easily be awake deep into the night, so turn off the lights at midnight by the hour.

Dolphins are “nervous people with irregular sleep,” according to Bruce, who estimates their number at 10% of the population. “They often think that they suffer from insomnia and send emails all night.”



Morning: 6: 00-10: 00

• Jump out of bed and wear sneakers. Sweat a little and expose your skin to the sun.
• At 7:30 take a cold shower, so as not to sleep.
• Have breakfast at 8: carbohydrates in half with protein.
• Think over the tasks for the day, but do not communicate with colleagues before the first coffee break.

Maximum performance: 10: 00-18: 00

• Drink some coffee at 9: 30-10, but choose low-caffeine coffee. You need less external recharge than you think.
• Between 10 and 12 - the most creative time, work on complex and large tasks.
• After lunch, at 13:00, the energy starts to decrease - leave the table, walk in the sun and fresh air for about 15 minutes.
• In the afternoon you have maximum attention. Deal with challenging tasks until 18:00.

After work: 18: 00-22: 00

• Eat a banana and go to yoga classes. Do not load yourself with intense exercises, they can keep you awake.
• Dine at 19, at this time you can talk with a partner, spouse or friend. For dolphins, dinner will be the ideal time to resolve conflicts and think about ideas together.

The end of the day: 22: 00-0: 00

• By 22 o'clock begin the ritual of going to bed, it will help you calm down. Turn off the smartphone, do not watch TV before going to bed. Take a hot bath.
• If the TV relaxes you, do not watch it for more than 90 minutes.
• Go to bed by midnight, but do not scold yourself if you will lie for a long time looking at the ceiling. It may be hard for you to fall asleep, but still there is a chance that you will be able to sleep.