Do you know at what point in your day you have the most energy? I’m a lark by nature, meaning that my peak energy points are between 4am and 6am and a couple of hours between 6pm and 8pm. Turns out that your body also has its own energy system a natural body clock that is soft wired to the cycle and rhythms of the natural seasons.

Most people think of and relate to time as linear. We operate on notions of time being fixed and limited and in control of us. But think about the time when you’re involved in a task that finds you fully absorbed and time either flies by without you realising it or it really slows right down and expands.

The Greeks have an interesting definition of time, they refer to time as either being Kronos time or Kairos time. Kronos time refers to time that is experienced as linear and fast and is the time of clocks and calendars. Kairos time on the other hand measures time in more of a circular fashion. It's often associated with the often-timeless experience we embody when we are in that place that psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi described as, 'Flow'.

When you lessen the daily distractions that pull you away from focused work and allow yourself to be fully present and involved during your peak times you are more likely to experience Kairos time as opposed to the rush and hectic pace of Kronos, which is laced with distraction behaviour.

Knowing when your energy peaks are in your day gives you valuable information about when to focus and work on your priority goals and project. Take myself as an example. It's 5.30am on new years day. I'm lying in bed when the idea for this mini series hits me. Because this is during one of my peak times, resistance and reluctance to take action is low and I grab my iPhone and tap out the outline for the whole series in one go using my Notes App.

A couple of years ago I started noticing that between 6pm and 8pm I experienced a power surge in my energy. I began using that time in my day to complete tasks I had been procrastinating about. I noticed how during that two-hour window in my day I knocked out emails far more quickly and completed writing projects with more rigour and urgency. Difficult tasks would be approached during this time with less fear and hesitation as I told myself I only had an hour or so to get stuck in and suddenly the task or activity appeared less daunting.

This two-hour window of time in my day has now been designated as my power hours. I know that if this time is kept free (I do everything I can to protect that window of time during the week including scheduling it into my diary at least three times a week depending on my schedule) I have a much greater chance of getting significant and important tasks completed or at least started during that period of time in my day.

So now it’s your turn to identify your peak times during your day and the ideal spot in the day you’ll claim as your power hour(s). Once you have these spots clearly identified then we’ll work on how best to protect and make best use of those times.

In the meantime answer the following sentences in your journal or notebook to complete today’s lesson:

·My peak times during the day are between

·My designated power(s) hour during the week is between

·My designated power hour during the weekends is between

·My preferred method of protecting my peak times and my

power hour(s) is to

·I am committed to protecting and engaging with my power

hour at least ____________ times a week.

Tomorrow we'll focus on how to decide what you’ll work on during your peak points and power hour(s).