We can strive for more success, we can drive for more results, but we cannot increase the amount of time we have in any given day. We have no control over time, but it dominates our daily lives. And while we have countless methods, tips and tricks to manage our time and prevent ourselves from “wasting” time, we can do nothing to slow down the endless and powerful march of the clock.

In our quest for greater success, we battle the clock by prioritizing our efforts, eliminating non-critical activities and working more hours. Instead of working against the clock, however, we are far better served by understanding the peaks and valleys of our energy level and matching them to decide when to work on specific tasks.

Few business situations are as daunting as keeping the attention of an audience directly after lunch. It is always important to take the energy of your audience into account when speaking in public. The same should be done for your own personal energy level and the tasks you decide to focus on.

Consider this: Have you ever worked on a task in the afternoon or evening that took you an hour or more that you know you could have completed in 10 minutes? Have you ever toiled on a task only to leave it unfinished until later in the day or early the next morning when completing the same task seemed effortless?

Most people can identify with these situations in their daily lives. If you are one of these people, consider this next thought exercise.

At what time of day do you have the highest energy? For many people, it’s the morning hours before lunch. What do you do during these hours? Do you check email? Do you attend meetings? Are you reacting to the world around you? Then ask yourself this critical question:

“Am I using these high-energy hours for my most cognitively challenging tasks?”