“What time works best for you?” And out of habit – or maybe, the way I have been groomed over the years, I said, “Anytime, just tell me when.”
They looked at me and said something simple but surprising:
They looked at me and said something simple but surprising:
“No. We don’t expect you to be available all the time! We care about your work-life balance, your potential and growth, and want you to be at your best when you work for us, and you feel it is convenient.”
This was a conversation that happened recently, and I realised that most of us no longer think in terms of time slots.
We work around the clock responding, replying, attending… without ever asking ourselves when we actually perform our best.
Yet, research tells us that when we work matters far more than we realise.
A 2025 study on productivity rhythms found that less than 30% of people perform their best between 9 AM and 5 PM, i.e., the traditional work window, and that cognitive performance peaks at varied times across individuals.
Some are sharpest early morning. Some in the afternoon. Some even at night.
In classrooms, too, students in early morning sessions are significantly more likely to report lower attention and engagement compared to mid-morning or early afternoon.
By 5 PM, everyone has attention fatigue… not from lack of interest, but from simply being awake for too long.
That doesn’t mean early morning or late evening is “bad.” It means human focus isn’t one-size-fits-all.
It’s the same with professional roles.
A strategist might have their sharpest ideas between 11–2.
A designer may find flow after lunch.
A writer might produce their best lines late night.
Psychologists call this variability chronotypes, the natural cognitive rhythms that influence how our attention, creativity, and decision-making fluctuate throughout the day.
What’s interesting is how workplace thinking is shifting.
Instead of asking someone to be available round the clock, HR managers are now asking “When do you do your best work? We are okay with flexibility and we care for your work life balance.”
Because availability doesn’t equal performance.
How often we keep working without ever examining when we work effectively? Not because we can’t choose, but because no one ever asked us.
If you could schedule your work only when you actually needed to present, meet, teach, or submit some document, and you could choose the day and time (8–11 am, 11–2 pm, 2–5 pm, or 5–8 pm), which window would you pick?
After morning coffee, of course.
Shines & Shadows 