Chronotype Test: Are you a Lark, Owl or Third bird?

You’re a lark

Morning type

Your body clock runs early. Your clearest thinking most likely comes in the first hours of the day, and your energy fades sooner in the evening than most people’s.

Larks are a minority. In one British study of older adults, about 3 in 10 kept lark hours. Your best hours come first, which makes them easy to lose to messages, errands and scrolling before you notice. Your afternoon dip has a use too, because people solve more insight puzzles at their groggiest time of day.

Try this for one week

1. Give your hardest task the early to mid-morning, before you open any messages.
2. Push meetings, errands and admin to after lunch.
3. Spend 20 minutes of your afternoon dip brainstorming or sketching a mind map.

Late nights cost you more than they cost an owl. Plan the ones you care about, and protect the morning after.

You’re a third bird

In-between type

Your body clock sits in the middle, where most people are. You warm up through the morning and hit your stride from late morning into early afternoon.

Ordinary school and work hours suit you better than they suit larks or owls. That fit has a catch. Nothing hurts, so a 10am meeting or an hour of messages can swallow your best hours without you noticing. Your score shows which side of the middle you lean toward, and the one-week log below will sharpen it.

Try this for one week

1. Block late morning for your hardest task, and keep your phone in another room.
2. Use the first hour of the day for easy starts like planning, reading or admin.
3. Save brainstorming for your low point, often mid-afternoon or late evening.

You’re an owl

Evening type

Your body clock runs late. Your brain comes online slowly in the morning and does its best work from late afternoon into the evening.

The old saying that early risers end up healthy, wealthy and wise failed when researchers tested it. In a British study that followed older adults for 23 years, owls had the highest average incomes. Your problem is timetables built for larks, and daylight is the main lever you have. A week of camping with only daylight and firelight moved owls’ body clocks about 2 hours earlier.

Try this for one week

1. Book late afternoon or early evening for your hardest task whenever you can choose.
2. Get outside within an hour of waking, and keep weekend wake-ups within an hour of weekdays.
3. Use foggy mornings for brainstorming and easy tasks instead of your hardest work.

If you can’t fall asleep before 2 or 3am even after weeks of trying, and it’s hurting school or work, talk to a doctor. Delayed sleep phase disorder is a recognized sleep condition, and a doctor can help.