Is There An Ideal Time To Schedule Work Meetings?
When it comes to having a productive day at work, a lot is riding on your chronotype — that is, the time you naturally go to sleep and wake up every day. Night owls, in particular, may benefit from flexible work schedules that cater to their mental and financial wellness just as much as their physical health, per a 2022 study in Sleep. Although recent years have ushered in more work-from-home policies and adjustable time frames that expand beyond the typical 9 to 5, there's still a general time slot of availability that needs to be adhered to for collaboration efforts and business meetings.
Some companies are setting out to discover the ideal time to hold meetings in a manner that caters to both the individual health of employees and the needs of the business. This can be challenging, but fortunately, there is a solution that can appease everyone, according to MindBodyGreen.
Businesses should have meetings at this time
Steven Lockley, a neuroscientist at Brigham & Women's Hospital and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, told MindBodyGreen that holding business meetings between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. (and definitely no later than 4 p.m.) is ideal for both early birds and night owls. The only time that this might be an issue is if people are in different time zones, but for the most part, this time frame is a happy medium.
According to The Sleep Foundation, your circadian rhythm and chronotype are similar but not the same. While your chronotype is mostly genetic, your circadian rhythm can be trained. Someone who's naturally a night owl can train their body and mind to go to sleep and wake up at a certain time each day, but that doesn't mean they will function at their best early in the morning. By meeting between 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., you can rest assured that everyone will be pleased no matter what time they're planning to hit the hay.