The "Power Hour" Method Flipped My Morning Routine and Doubled My Productivity

I am unabashedly a morning person. I’m also still perfecting my morning routine — if it runs too long, it makes starting my work day a bit of a challenge. I freelance and work from home, so I create my own schedule, which is a privilege that comes with pitfalls if I’m not careful.

By the afternoon, my creative brain is usually toast and I’m struggling to stay focused. If I don’t get certain things done before lunchtime, my productivity essentially ends up in the trash bin. But the days where I feel fantastic are the ones when I’ve gotten to work right away — no morning scrolling, no lengthy journaling or meditating, just a moment to make my coffee and settle in on the couch with my laptop before the household wakes up for the day.

But that preference doesn’t feel like it aligns with what I’ve heard I’m supposed to do in the mornings. Am I bananas for getting right to work at the crack of dawn? Shouldn’t I be starting the day with something other than work? As soon as I discovered the concept of “power hours,” though, my self doubt fizzled away as it all started to make sense.

What Are Power Hours?

I’m all about productivity hacks, and have seen “power hours” for productivity floating around social media for a while now. Laura Mae Martin, Google’s productivity expert, really dives into power hours in her book Uptime: A Practical Guide to Personal Productivity and Wellbeing. Her definition involves identifying the specific time frame where you feel most productive, then scheduling your day around them so that you can maximize what you get done when you’re most able to. 

The concept is rooted in the age-old productivity hack, time blocking. To figure out your own power hour, take a week or two to really pay attention to when you feel the most productive. Take note of when you feel the most inspired, as well as when you feel drained. Maybe you feel ready to tackle those phone calls you’ve been putting off after your first cup of coffee, and ready to pack it in and take a nap around 3 p.m. That would indicate that your power hour is around, say, 9 a.m.

Once you get a better sense of your own rhythm, block off the time when you feel the most engaged as your power hour, and use the time when you feel the least inspired for admin tasks, emails, or anything else that isn’t as urgent as your top to-dos.

How My “Power Hour” Helps Me Be More Productive

As soon as I realized my power hour was first thing in the morning, I was able to let go of any weird feelings I had about starting my day in any other way. The days where I feel the most productive and on top of the world are when I can knock a few things off of my work to-do list before I eat breakfast, walk the dog, and even get dressed. Not to mention, my work day can end sooner because it starts so early.

A typical power hour for me is incredibly quiet (no one is awake yet!) and my mind is sharp. I’m not faced with a buzzing phone or email notifications, and the calm atmosphere allows me to truly focus without distraction. Both my creativity and mental clarity are at their peak first thing in the morning,  so I can schedule my day, send emails and write a bit, all in 60 minutes. It always feels like getting a head start in a race, especially since I get ready for the rest of the day right afterwards, before diving into work again around 9 a.m.

Since I am a morning person who also likes to work out first thing, I don’t tap into my power hour every day. On rest days when I’m not at the gym, or when my work schedule is especially busy, I’ll include more morning power hours to get ahead. I’ve also noticed that I am able to get through work faster when I start my work day early in the morning. Again, my energy diminishes throughout the day, so writing an article at 7 a.m. feels like a breeze, while writing the same article at 2 p.m. will take me twice as long.

There’s no better feeling than being done with my work day well before 5 p.m. because I was able to knock out my work early in the morning. The magic of a power hour!

The beauty of the power hour method is that everyone has their own — and once you find yours, it’s like a key unlocking a secret room of productivity.  While I highly recommend honing in on your own power hour, the truth is it’s not always possible to block off the time when it’s best for you. Perhaps you have kids or your work schedule doesn’t align with your personal power hour, in which case, don’t be afraid to get creative or ask for help, if you’re able. Even if you can’t have your personal power hour everyday, you might be able to seize the hour once a week. 

Whether you work best in the morning, the afternoon, or in the evening, give yourself an hour to really focus on whatever you want to accomplish in your own personal sweet spot, then let the results astound you. 

This post originally appeared on Apartment Therapy. See it there: I Tried the “Power Hour” Productivity Method, and Now I Get 2x More Done Every Day

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