I work according to my circadian rhythm, which may be completely different to that of other people. I do wake up at Ungodly In The Morning (4:00am, or 4:30 when I’m a bit tired, or 6:00 am on weekends – for my reasoning for doing this, you can read this blog post), and obviously by the time I hit mid-day (12 noon), I’m done with the day. At most, I’m coherent around 1-2pm. And then, I need food and a nap, which normally lasts 1.5 hours (for my bi-phasic sleep cycle blog post, you can click here).
I developed this routine in graduate school, and I haven't changed much, except when I am ill or when I travel across continents, or when I am at hyper-charged conferences (e.g. MPSA, PMRC, AAG, ISA – conferences where every single minute of my schedule is booked to the max).
— Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) January 25, 2019
One reason I ABSOLUTELY DETEST morning meetings is that is consistently falls on my writing and thinking time. A lot of my fellow faculty colleagues are afternoon/evening creatures. Not me. This is why I wake up at 4 am, so I have many more hours before people interrupt me.
— Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) January 25, 2019
Consistently, I have taken my worst decisions at night. This is a regular pattern. That's why I try to NEVER make a decision late at night, even if people pressure me to do so. I always wait until the morning when my brain is clear. I do get a second wind around 5pm ish.
— Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) January 25, 2019
Reserve your most challenging intellectual work when you are at your top (me: 4am-11am). Then anything else including administrative work. I like mentoring students in the afternoon because even if my energy is low, I'm attentive and I listen carefully. </micro-thread>
— Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) January 25, 2019
I strongly believe that we ought to listen to our bodies and circadian rhythms. And try to stay healthy as much as we can.
Bottom line: do what helps YOU. Focus on YOU and what works best for YOU. Save and conserve energy for the things that move YOU forward. </micro-thread>
— Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) June 28, 2018
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