Your Daily Energy Curve: Discover Your Chronotype
Hi Team, Tara here!
This week, I had the privilege of presenting at the WomenTech Global Conference for my third consecutive year. I hosted a workshop where 50 incredible women joined me to design their personalized plans for peak performance at work. For those of you who recently joined the EmpowerFlow community through the workshop, a warm welcome!
One of the topics we touched on—and a key to unlocking your best work—revolved around understanding your chronotype. Chronotypes are why some people naturally spring out of bed ready to conquer the world at 6 AM, while others don’t hit their stride until late at night. This difference isn't about willpower; it's deeply rooted in biology.
A chronotype is your body’s natural preference for when to sleep, wake, and be active. It’s governed by your circadian rhythm—a 24-hour cycle driven by your brain’s suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), located in the hypothalamus. This system controls your melatonin production, body temperature, and cortisol levels—all of which fluctuate to tell your body when to feel awake and when to rest.
Learning to work with your chronotype, rather than against it, can unlock a whole new level of productivity, creativity, and overall well-being.
Your brain and body already know when you work best. The question is, are you listening?
The Science
Chronotypes are genetically influenced, meaning you don’t choose your rhythm—it chooses you. Some people naturally wake up with the sun. Others are wired to do their best thinking after dark.
Trying to force yourself into a schedule that doesn’t match your chronotype—like doing deep work when your brain is half-asleep—leads to:
Lower cognitive performance
More mistakes
Increased stress and fatigue
Worse sleep at night (ironically!)
But when you align your tasks to your chronotype’s peak energy zones, everything gets easier: deep work flows, creativity spikes, and even your mood improves.
The Four Chronotypes (and How to Optimize Yours)
Let’s dive into the four types, based on the research of sleep specialist Dr. Michael Breus, and what each one can do to thrive.
🦁 Lions: The Early Risers
Energy Curve:
Peak energy: 6AM–10AM
Focus window: 8AM–12PM
Dip: 2PM–4PM
Recharge time: Early evening
Best sleep: 9PM–5AM
Optimize Your Day:
Schedule deep work early in the morning (before meetings if possible).
Use your 2PM slump for low-effort admin, light exercise, or breaks.
Don’t overbook evenings—your energy fades fast after sunset.
Aim to sleep early to protect your next-day performance.
🦁 Tara’s Note: I’m a Lion. Once I accepted that I do my best thinking by noon, I stopped cramming creative work into the afternoons. I prioritized space earlier in my day to do my deep work. My productivity went up—and my feelings of burnout went down. I also learned how important it is for me to combat my revenge bedtime procrastination so that I don’t waste my mornings.
🐻 Bears: The Daytime Steady-Staters
Energy Curve:
Peak energy: 10AM–2PM
Focus window: 11AM–3PM
Dip: 2PM–4PM
Recharge time: Late afternoon
Best sleep: 11PM–7AM
Note: This is the most common chronotype (about 50% of people).
Optimize Your Day:
Block 10AM–2PM for high-impact work—strategy, writing, focused decision-making.
Expect a natural dip in the afternoon—do low-brain tasks or take a short walk.
Plan workouts in the late afternoon or early evening when energy rebounds.
Protect a consistent sleep schedule (even on weekends) to keep your rhythm steady.
🐺 Wolves: The Night Owls
Energy Curve:
Peak energy: 4PM–10PM
Focus window: 5PM–9PM
Dip: Mornings
Recharge time: Late night
Best sleep: 12AM–8AM
Optimize Your Day:
Don’t schedule complex tasks before 11AM—use that time for planning, email, or light work.
Protect 5PM–9PM for deep focus or creative projects.
Embrace flexible hours when possible, especially for side projects or flow work.
Wind down gradually at night—avoid overbooking early mornings to “fit in.”
🐺 Tara’s Note: Wolves often get labeled as “lazy” in morning-centric cultures, but this chronotype can absolutely thrive—with the right flexibility and respect for their peak window.
🐬 Dolphins: The Sensitive Sleepers
Energy Curve:
Peak energy: Mid-morning and early evening bursts
Focus window: 10AM–12PM and 4PM–6PM
Dip: 12PM–2PM and late night
Best sleep: Varies—often struggle to sleep deeply
Note: Only ~10% of people fall here.
Optimize Your Day:
Build routines to manage overthinking—meditation and journaling help.
Use bursts of energy for short sprints of deep work.
Avoid caffeine after noon and limit blue light at night.
Focus on winding down slowly—Dolphins benefit most from high-quality sleep hygiene.
How to Leverage Your Chronotype in Daily Life
1. Identify Your Chronotype
You can take a chronotype quiz (easily found on Google) or reflect on when you naturally feel awake, focused, and tired. Keep a simple journal for a few days tracking:
When you naturally wake up and fall asleep (without an alarm)
When you feel most focused
When you hit a wall
2. Align Your Top Priorities with Your Peak
Move your most important tasks—deep work, strategic thinking, creative flow—to your chronotype’s peak zone. Move low-effort or social tasks to your dips.
3. Protect Your Sleep
Sleep is the foundation for everything else. Match your sleep schedule to your chronotype as closely as your life allows. Consistency is key—even on weekends.
4. Don’t Fight It—Flex It
You might not always control your full schedule, but small shifts matter. Can you move a meeting from 9AM to 11AM? Push your workout from 6AM to 4PM? Small shifts can make a big impact.
Stop Forcing—Start Flowing
Understanding your chronotype is a gentle but powerful way to get more energy, better work, and calmer evenings—not by doing more, but by doing things when they naturally suit you.
Let your body lead. Let your brain thrive. Let your day flow.
Happy Friday,
Tara