Take Advantage of Timing for Peak Performance

Most people’s cognitive abilities cycle through three predictable daily stages: peak, trough and recovery.

In his book, When, Daniel Pink unlocks the scientific secrets to good timing. Pink reveals people’s cognitive abilities fluctuate over the course of the day. Most people move through three cognitive stages in a predictable order: peak, trough and recovery. About two-thirds of the population are at their peak during the morning. Exceptions are evening types (night owls), who often cycle through the three stages in reverse order and peak much later in the day, and early risers (larks), who tend to hit their peak earlier than most of the population. Night owls make up about 20% of the population and larks about 15%.

During your peak, you’re best at pursuing analytical tasks that require a high level of focus. Most people hit a slump in the early to mid-afternoon – the trough stage – during which their cognitive abilities decline, and they are most prone to error and bias. The recovery phase, which usually arrives in the later afternoon...