What if you're not bad at productivity—you're just using the wrong system for your brain? In this episode about finding your peak productivity hours, Shannon and Janine stumble into a conversation that turns into a real-time energy audit experiment. Shannon discovers her natural energy rhythms peak at 3-6 PM—the exact opposite of what productivity gurus recommend. We commit to tracking our energy patterns. Join us as we figure out what happens when you stop fighting your natural work rhythms and start working with them instead.

What We Talk About

In this 26-minute conversation about work energy patterns and productivity without guilt, we cover:

• 02:12 – The Monday morning struggle: structuring your day and setting priorities
• 04:59 – Shannon's surprising discovery: her peak productivity hours are 3-6 PM
• 07:05 – The second wind phenomenon and why it's hard to harness
• 08:49 – Shannon's "weird mind game" about planning work for later in the day
• 10:23 – The stigma of "waiting until the last minute" vs. working with your energy
• 13:12 – Why doing the opposite of productivity gurus feels so hard
• 14:06 – The energy you gain from letting go of fighting your natural patterns
• 15:35 – Designing the experiment: Shannon's plan to track energy patterns
• 16:46 – Janine's opposite challenge: can she knock out her top tasks before lunch?
• 18:28 – How working with your rhythms could solve other challenges (like exercise)
• 22:11 – The burning question: what bird is active in the afternoon?
• 22:40 – Committing to the experiment and inviting listeners to join

Key Takeaways

Understanding Your Peak Productivity Hours

What if you're not broken—just mismatched to your system? Shannon has a breakthrough moment when she realizes her clearest, most productive hours are 3-6 PM—the exact opposite of what most productivity advice recommends. This isn't a flaw; it's just her natural rhythm. The question becomes: what happens when you stop trying to fix yourself and start designing around how you actually work?

Why Fighting Your Natural Energy Rhythms Drains You

Fighting your natural energy patterns is exhausting. When you constantly try to force yourself to work during times that don't align with your natural rhythms, you're spending precious energy just fighting yourself. As Shannon puts it: "I almost feel like if I let go of fighting it, II would have more energy." What if all that energy could go toward actually getting things done?

The "Buffer" Mentality and Productivity Guilt

The "buffer" mentality keeps you stuck. Shannon discovers she's been unconsciously keeping her peak hours as a "buffer" in case she doesn't get things done earlier—which creates a self-fulfilling prophecy where she never plans to use her best hours intentionally. It's a fascinating mind game many of us play without realizing it.

Productivity guilt doesn't actually help you be productive. Shannon admits to feeling like she's "waiting until the last minute" when she gets things done in the afternoon, even though that's when she does her best work. This guilt doesn't serve any useful purpose—it just makes her feel bad about being productive. What would happen if we let that go?

Morning vs Afternoon Productivity: Different Rhythms Work

Different rhythms need different experiments. Janine thrives in the morning and designs a challenge to complete her top 1-3 tasks before lunch, freeing up her afternoons. Shannon's going to experiment with protecting her afternoon hours for her most important work. There's no one-size-fits-all approach—just curiosity about what works for you.

How to Design Your Own Energy Audit

An energy audit starts with simple tracking. Both hosts commit to paying attention to when they do what work and how it feels—not to judge themselves, but to gather real data about their natural patterns. Shannon plans to track this in her bullet journal during an especially intense work period, which will give her clear feedback fast.

Working With Your Energy Solves Multiple Problems

Working with your rhythms can solve multiple problems at once. When Janine gets her priority tasks done before lunch, she'll have guilt-free afternoon time for exercise, puzzles, or other activities she keeps putting off. When Shannon embraces her afternoon productivity, she can enjoy her mornings without the pressure of "should be working." One shift can create unexpected benefits.

Frequently Asked Questions About Natural Energy Rhythms

When are most people's peak productivity hours?

While productivity advice often says mornings are best, peak productivity hours vary by person. Shannon discovered her clearest thinking happens 3-6 PM, while Janine thrives in the morning. The key is tracking your own energy patterns instead of following generic advice.

How do I do an energy audit?

Start simple: track when you do different types of work and how your brain feels. Notice when work feels easiest vs. hardest. Use a bullet journal, phone notes, or just mental observations. No judgment—just curiosity about your natural work rhythms. Shannon and Janine are doing this experiment too, and they'll report back on what they discover.

What if my peak hours don't match my schedule?

This is common! The experiment is about discovering your patterns first, then finding small ways to protect your best hours for your most important work—even if you can't restructure everything. Sometimes just knowing your rhythms helps you make better choices about when to tackle different types of tasks.

Bottom Line

Stop trying to force yourself into someone else's productivity pattern—let's figure out your natural energy rhythms instead. The "eat the frog" and "do your hardest work first thing in the morning" advice works great for people whose brains work that way. But if your peak energy and clearest thinking happen at different times, you're not broken or lazy. You're just different.

Join us in the energy audit experiment: Track when you do your best work. Notice when you feel most clear-headed and energized—not when you think you should feel that way, but when you actually do. Track it simply—in a bullet journal, on your phone, or just mental notes. Then experiment with protecting that time for your most important work, even if it goes against conventional productivity wisdom. Whether you're a morning productivity person or discover afternoon energy is your secret weapon, this experiment will help you work with your energy, not against it. We'll be doing this too, and we'll report back on what we discover. Let's figure this out together.

Connect With Us

What are your natural energy patterns? Are you a morning lark who gets everything done before lunch, or do you hit your stride in the afternoon or evening? Have you tried working with your natural rhythms instead of fighting them?

Join the experiment with us! Track your energy for a week and see what you discover. We'd love to hear what you find out—and seriously, if you know what bird is most active in the afternoon, please tell us. We need to know.

• Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843)
• Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
• Email: [email protected]

Want More?

Episode 67: Keeping Focus – Strategies for dealing with distractions and maintaining focus amid open loops and interruptions

Episode 193: Gentle Accountability – Learn how to stay on track without beating yourself up, holding yourself accountable with kindness and effectiveness

Episode 196: Building an Anti-Perfectionist Toolkit – Discover different techniques and tools to turn to when stuck in perfectionism, embracing that not everything works forever