Have you struggled with the common wake up-work-sleep routine? Or maybe you find that you’ve never dealt with the struggle of tiredness most others get during the day. There’s a reason for that. We all have a chronotype. The Sleep Foundation defines a chronotype as “the natural inclination of your body to sleep at a certain time”. There are four different ones: the Bear, the Lion, the Dolphin, and the Wolf.
The Bear’s energy follows the sun. After taking a bit of time to wake up, the Bear is most productive, awake, and alert between 9am-1pm. The Bear steadily declines in energy after those prime hours, so it is recommended to Bears that they leave their most difficult tasks (or the tasks they want for a clear headspace) for the morning. Bears also need a solid 8 hours of sleep to be their best and most energetic selves the next day. You are likely a Bear, as this type is 55% of the population.
The Lion-aka the “early bird”-is a morning person. Nearly as soon as their alarm goes off, they are in their best moods and headspaces. Lion’s height of productivity in a day is between 6am-11am. If you’re a Lion, you can get the most out of your day if you take a power nap in the afternoon, as this is a common slump time for you. Lions in general though, do not need as much sleep as a Bear or Wolf. Approximately 15% of the population will find themselves in this category.
Dolphins are quite unique. They are most productive during what most of us consider “sleep hours”. Dolphins are most productive any time they are awake, and are often light sleepers with fragmented sleep schedules. They rarely keep a regular sleep schedule. You may be working with a Dolphin if they are highly intelligent and creative, and generally sleepy. Dolphins are encouraged to go with the flow of work when their productivity is strongest. Dolphins account for nearly 10% of the population.
The Wolf, the classic night owl, has the highest productivity between 8pm-2am. (This is one reason why the typical 9-5 schedule simply isn’t practical for a significant population, and having some freedom to accomplish projects when the timing is right can be extraordinarily helpful for overall productivity.) Wolves have the hardest time in the morning, and their productivity steadily rises as the day moves towards a close. Additionally, Wolves are invited to sleep longer – 8 to 10 hours is perfectly reasonable – and release any guilt surrounding their long sleep hours. It is the best for their type. Wolves make up approximately 15% of the population.
It’s good to remember that you and the people you work with all have different peaks and troughs during the day. It can cause some frustration and misunderstandings when peaks don’t line up, but it is inevitable. If you are a leader in your workplace, consider giving your team members the choice of when to complete certain tasks. You may find when they are able to champion tasks based on their chronotype, your team as a whole is healthier and more productive. Also consider matching up team members with the same chronotype to work on a project, as their timing may work well together. Learning what your chronotype is and following your mind’s natural peaks and troughs helps you to be your best self throughout the day.