--- description: We know how most people spend their time. What can research tell us about the best way to spend our time? Maybe you’re a night... title: How to Optimize Your Daily Schedule image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt257a79c2fa67652f/69876bbc2dce010d749dc1a2/schedule.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Psychology](/tag/psychology/) ## Psychology Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # How to Optimize Your Daily Schedule by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 4, 2014 5:01 AM CUT  Open diary New Years Day on wood background Open diary New Years Day on wood backgroundGetty Images by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 4, 2014 5:01 AM CUT We know how [most people spend their time](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-do-most-people-spend-their-time "undefined"). What can research tell us about the best way to spend our time? * Maybe you’re a night owl. You don’t want to get out of bed. There’s a way to [get out of that habit](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-can-a-night-owl-learn-to-be-an-early-bird "undefined"). And it’s important because [your mood in the morning affects your entire day](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-your-mood-in-the-morning-affect-your-ent "undefined"). * Is it Monday? Don’t worry, [it won’t be as bad as you think](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-is-it-about-mondays-must-they-always-be "undefined"). (On the other hand, [Fridays aren’t that great](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/tgif-is-friday-really-that-great-is-monday-re "undefined"), either.) * There are many reasons [why a shower in the morning makes you feel so good](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/why-do-we-feel-so-good-after-a-shower "undefined") and it might even [make you more creative](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/during-what-average-daily-activity-are-you-mo "undefined"). * Don’t skip breakfast, [it can lead to murder](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-skipping-breakfast-lead-to-murder "undefined"). Then again maybe starving [is better for your health](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-starving-yourself-for-a-while-every-day-i "undefined"). Have some coffee — here’s [everything you need to know about it](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-that-wonder-b "undefined"), including [the best way to use it](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/advice-on-how-to-best-use-caffeine-from-a-neu "undefined"). * Commuting [makes everyone miserable](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/everybody-hates-commuting-why-do-we-do-it "undefined"). Try to avoid traffic or get a job closer to home, if possible. * You’re at the office. Don’t [procrastinate](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/7-steps-to-never-procrastinating-again "undefined"). Here’s [a ritual](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-one-18-minute-ritual-make-your-day-dramat "undefined") to start the day off right. Do [important things first](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-it-best-to-have-job-interviews-early-in-th "undefined") if you want to hear “yes” from people. You can be a productivity dynamo [with the right tips](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/10-ways-to-turn-yourself-into-a-productivity "undefined"). * During the day it might be good to know how to [set goals](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/the-last-damn-thing-youll-ever-need-to-read-a "undefined"), be a [great leader](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/5-keys-to-being-a-better-leader? "undefined"), improve [teamwork](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/5-ways-to-improve-teamwork "undefined"), give an [awesome presentation](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/10-tips-for-giving-a-world-class-presentation "undefined"), and [deal with lousy meetings](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/5-ways-to-improve-all-those-awful-meetings-at "undefined"). And [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-to-get-through-work-today-without-killing "undefined")‘s how to get through the work day without killing anyone. Need to do creative work? [Do it at home](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/where-is-the-best-place-to-get-creative-work "undefined"). * Have lunch or you’ll be cranky — [even if you don’t realize it](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-hungry-judges-give-harsher-sentences "undefined"). * Any way to sneak a nap in here? Naps [increase](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/08/are-sleep-and-dreams-the-key-to-learning/ "undefined") [learning](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-there-an-easy-way-to-boost-your-learning-a "undefined"), aid [decision-making](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-sleep-on-it-good-advice "undefined") and [purge negative emotions](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-an-easy-way-to-purge-negative-emotions "undefined"). Here’s [how to make them amazing](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-the-secret-to-amazing-naps "undefined"). * (Is it the weekend? We know [what activities best help you recover from the workweek](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-weekend-activities-best-help-you-recover "undefined") and [what makes the weekend fun](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-makes-the-weekend-more-or-less-fun "undefined"). Most important, [spend time with friends and family](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-the-secret-to-making-your-weekends-more "undefined").) * Do not just plop down in front of the TV. In the long term [it will make you miserable](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/why-does-tv-make-us-unhappy "undefined"). Wasting time on the internet might mean [you’re not getting enough sleep](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-can-you-stop-wasting-so-much-time-on-the "undefined"). * Between 6-8PM is [the best time to hit the gym](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/the-best-time-to-do-anything "undefined"). (Your body temp is at its highest and this is the peak time for strength and flexibility.) I don’t need to tell you that exercise is good for you but it [might get you a raise](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-you-bench-press-your-way-to-a-pay-raise "undefined") and you might be surprised to find out that looking at [porn, action movies](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/should-you-watch-porn-and-action-movies-befor "undefined") and [superheroes](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-loving-superheroes-make-you-physically-st "undefined") beforehand might improve your workout. * Now might be a good time to work on a hobby or build that skill you’ve been working on (gotta get to [10,000 hours](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-it-true-that-10000-hours-of-practice-will "undefined") somehow) Reading is great but [it might be better if you did all your reading for the year in two weeks](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-it-better-to-do-all-your-reading-for-the-y "undefined"), actually. * The best thing to do to increase happiness is [spend time with friends and family](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-should-you-spend-your-time-in-order-to-in "undefined"). Having a better social life [can be worth as much as an additional $131,232 a year in terms of life satisfaction](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-are-your-relationships-worth-in-dollars "undefined"). * Between 10PM and 1AM is the [best time for sex](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/the-best-time-to-do-anything "undefined") because skin sensitivity is at its highest. * Didn’t get enough done today? Feel strapped for time? You might want to consider volunteering. Ironically, [giving away time makes you feel like you have more of it](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-giving-time-away-the-best-way-to-deal-with "undefined"). * Exhausted? Oddly enough this might be [a good time to get some creative work done](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-you-most-creative-when-were-exhausted "undefined"). Or are you wide awake? Larks and night owls [have different strengths and weaknesses](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/night-owls-vs-morning-people-who-comes-out-ah "undefined"). * [These tips](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/6-tips-for-getting-a-better-nights-sleep "undefined") might help you get to sleep. And you should make time for the proper amount of sleep — you can’t get away with less. [No, you can’t](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-little-sleep-can-you-get-away-with "undefined"). Missing an hour [can take points off your IQ](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-missing-an-hour-of-sleep-take-points-off "undefined") and make it [harder to be happy](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-being-tired-make-it-hard-to-be-happy "undefined"). **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/08/is-there-an-optimize-your-daily-schedule/ "undefined")**_._** **Join over 135,000 readers and get my free weekly email update** [**here**](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD "undefined")**.** Related posts: [What 10 things should you do every day to improve your life?](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/05/what-10-things-should-you-do-every-day-to-imp/ "undefined") [How To Make Your Life Better By Sending Five Simple Emails](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/07/make-your-life-better/ "undefined") [4 Lifehacks From Ancient Philosophers That Will Make You Happier](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/01/ancient-philosophers/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3612826/optimize-daily-schedule/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3612826/optimize-daily-schedule/"},"headline":"How to Optimize Your Daily Schedule","datePublished":"2014-12-04T05:01:01.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:03:26.906Z","description":"We know how most people spend their time. 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