Some people are morning people. They jump out of bed, exultant at the prospect of a new day. Energy bursts from them as they leap into whatever tasks they need to get done. Before the sun has barely risen, they’ve ticked off half a dozen items from their to-do list without even raising a sweat.

I’m not like that. I don’t rocket out of my bed, as if a flame has been lit beneath me. I’m more likely to drag myself up, one foot slowly sliding to the floor after the other. With bleary eyes, I stagger to the shower. I may get a few tasks done before noon but only if I really push myself hard.

Then there are the other sorts of people. The people who tend to sleep walk through the morning, if they’ve even gotten out of bed. The people who struggle to get anything much done while the sun is up. But once evening arrives and darkness descends, they get their second wind (or should that be, their first wind?) Suddenly, they’re a bundle of energy. Suddenly, things that seemed impossible to even consider become more like a piece of cake. These are the true evening people.

No, I’m not like that either. The further the day progresses, the more my eyelids start to sag and my body begins to slow. Once dinner is consumed, I’m pretty much down for the count. The only thing I’m good for is feet on the couch and maybe some halting conversation if you’re lucky.

So there you have it. I’m not a morning person. I’m not an evening person either. So what sort of person am I? When in the day am I able to function in a vaguely productive way?

I reckon there’s a small window. Maybe it opens a little after 11 in the morning and closes sometime around 2 in the afternoon. That’s when my energy is peaking. That’s when the creative juices are flowing and I have the vim and vigour to actually get things done. Of course, a large amount of that time is taken up by lunch, but I suppose that’s something I need to work around (literally and metaphorically).

Sure, it makes life a bit of a challenge, especially given that for 5 out of 7 days, I spend those most productive hours stuck in an office. I can get pretty envious of those early birds and night owls who can make so much use of their non-workplace hours. But it’s something I’ve come to terms with. As I drag myself out of bed in the morning, and collapse back into it at night, I still somehow manage to get stuff done. And I have the stories to prove it.