Chronoworking: The Productivity Hack That Will Give You a Healthy Work-Life Balance

If you're a night owl who does their best work at 10 pm or an early riser who seems to lose all motivation after lunch, then you know that planning work around your biorhythm is absolutely the best way to be efficient.

Luckily for you, employers are starting to recognize that, too. The latest workplace trend is called “chronoworking,” and it’s all about doing your work when you most feel like it, for maximum productivity and much less stress.

What is Chronoworking?

Chronoworking is based around your chronotype, your body’s preference for when you sleep and wake. Your chronotype is related to your body’s circadian rhythm, the natural 24-hour cycle your body goes through. It determines whether you’re an evening person or a morning person, and this is consistent and hard to alter.

There are four chronotypes according to clinical psychologist Dr. Michael Breus:

• Lion: Wakes up early and has an early, scheduled bedtime. Productive from 9am to 2pm.
• Bear: May have inconsistent sleep routines and is most energetic midday. Productive from 10am to 2pm.
• Wolf: Prefers evening hours and doesn’t typically rise early. Productive from 1 pm to 5 pm.
• Dolphin: Struggles with insomnia at night and is tired during the day. Productive from 3pm to 7pm.

Once you figure out your chronotype, you can use chronoworking to create a healthier work-life balance. Chronoworking simply means aligning your work with your natural energy cycles so you aren’t forcing yourself to get through work whenever you’re less productive. Instead of sticking to a rigid schedule, you do focused work during your alert periods and take breaks or tackle less demanding tasks during times when your energy dips.

The idea is to maximize efficiency, so you're making the most of your productive hours. Chronoworking may also help prevent you from burning out when you feel unproductive yet push yourself to do difficult tasks.

Is Chronoworking Right for Every Personality?

In theory, yes. Anyone can benefit from chronoworking, since it's just about adapting your schedule to your natural energy cycles. The biggest roadblock is likely to come from your employer, not your personality. If your job currently has strict hours, it might be hard to convince your boss that you’d be most effective working at different times.

That said, some personality types might naturally gravitate towards chronoworking, while others may feel untethered by a non-linear workday.

For example, of the 16-type personalities, Perceivers and especially Intuitive-Perceivers, might find chronoworking complements their desire for flexibility and lack of structure. These types dislike rigid schedules and may naturally focus when their imagination and energy is at its peak. Chronoworking is good because it creates a balance of scheduling and anti-scheduling — you're not working a 9-to-5 on your boss's terms, but you do have some boundaries created by your energy levels.

Similarly, people with a theorist temperament , the Intuitive Thinkers (NTs) of the 16-type system, will find chronoworking optimal to boost efficiency and problem-solving.

On the slip side, Sensing-Judging (SJ) types might struggle with chronoworking because it means abandoning a structured routine. They may feel like loose schedules lead to chaos and have trouble focusing when their typical schedule is disrupted. These types can be so focused on planning days out to the last hour that they’ll crumble if they have to be flexible.

Ultimately, if it works for your personality, it’s worth trying out. But like most workplace trends,  chronoworking is not something you should force if it doesn't fit with your personality or work style.

Tips for Getting the Most Out of Chronoworking

If you’re curious about trying chronoworking and can do so at work (or even as a home productivity tool), here are some tips to get you started. 

Take short breaks, even in very productive periods.

While taking breaks during peak productivity hours might sound counterintuitive, research shows that mindful breaks throughout your workday further boost your productivity and performance.

Save the emails for your low-energy periods.

You might think tackling a pile of emails is something you should reserve for a high-energy period, but it’s better to do so when you have less energy. If you have an inbox with an overwhelming volume (but not overwhelming content), then this is a redundant task you can tackle in a low-energy period.

Experiment to find which time frame works for you.

You may have your chronotype sorted, but the peak productivity hours are a ballpark. Since every person is a bit different, it’s important to experiment to find which window of time is the best for you. Think about when you feel your most energetic and try to tackle high-resource projects during that window. You might think you’re a 2 pm to 5 pm person but are actually more of a 12 pm to 4pm person. Treat it like a science project. Keep a journal or a spreadsheet to track when you feel most productive and least productive. Soon, you’ll find your ideal window.

Don’t overdo it.

You might view a productivity hack as a way to squeeze in more work. And while that’s admirable, it’s important to keep realistic expectations and avoid overloading your productive hours with too many tasks. Aim for one to three heavy tasks, and don’t sweat it if you only get through one or two. If your work includes many small tasks, remember you may not get through them all because you’re trying to boost productivity.

Summing It Up 

Chronoworking is a powerful productivity hack that aligns your tasks with your energy flow. By working during your most productive times, you can accomplish the important stuff when you’re at your peak. Avoiding important tasks when you have lower energy may also help lessen your stress, so it’s worth testing out to see if chronoworking works for you. 

If you’re interested in trying it, find out your chronotype first, and then experiment with windows of time to find when you feel most productive. You may have a personality type that is less inclined to enjoy this productivity hack, but there’s no harm in trying it for yourself to see if you could benefit from adjusting your work schedule.