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Today’s guest post is by Al at 7P Productions.

Source: danflo

Here’s a little bit of trivia: did you know that you are typically shorter at night than in the morning by about 1/4 - 1/2 of an inch? Just as your body varies during the day, your mind also varies as the day goes by.

Some of us are morning people, while others don’t really get going until later in the day. I would categorize myself as a morning person, because my most creative and productive thinking comes at that time of the day. If I build up enough productive momentum during the morning, I usually can ride that wave towards the end of the day.

The key thing to recognize here is that although different, we all have a natural rhythm with our day. It’s important to recognize it and to take advantage of it. I make concerted efforts to keep my schedule clear during the mornings and instead hold meetings in the afternoons so I can take advantage of my peak time in the morning.

The counter situation is when you try to force this productivity wave during your off-peak time of the day, particularly for tasks that require creativity and thinking. Now, instead of riding a wave, you are trying to swim upstream. The more effort you put in, the more energy you lose trying unsuccessfully to be productive.

Jean at Cheerful Monk had an interesting post a little while back about how if you’re working too hard, you’re doing something wrong. Although Jean put it in context for personal development, this analogy is also applicable with personal productivity. Once we know how to manage ourselves, then managing anything outside of ourselves become easy.

Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength, mastering yourself is true power.
- Lao Tzu

About the author: Al writes a blog about the 7 P’s: passion, purpose, planning, pursuit, progress, power, and peace. He also recently adopted the GTD system and frequently shares his personal experience with it here.