How to Be Productive as an Afternoon Person
There are advantages to reaching your peak energy when everyone else is battling the post-lunch slump
For as long as I can remember, I’ve felt best around 4 p.m. Throughout the day, I’m alternately groggy, anxious, and distracted — but come late afternoon, my mood lifts, and I find the focus and calm that’s been eluding me.
It’s been this way throughout changes in my age, lifestyle, and schedule: as a teen getting a second wind in time for after-school soccer practice; as a college student hitting the library for a study sprint before dinner; as a full-time employee bemoaning the productivity kick that came too late in the workday; and today, as a freelancer, hitting my stride after a day of fits and starts.
You hear about morning people and night owls, but “afternoon people” seem to fly under the radar — in part because our chosen time of day isn’t exactly known for its benefits. The post-lunch energy dip is an infamous (and well-documented) workday menace. Some research suggests that we’re less motivated to seek out rewards in the afternoon. Experts do believe creativity tends to spike in the afternoon — but only because people are too depleted to maintain focus and are therefore more willing to let their minds wander. With everything else working…
