Work when you're at your best

You may feel fresher in the morning (except when we've been out partying the night before...but that's another story) and more, er, sociable in the afternoon (read: likely to gossip). Everyone is different, though, so be more effective at work by focusing on important jobs when you're at your best. 

Decide whether you're at your best in the morning or afternoon. A particularly taxing job will take much longer at 4pm if you tend to run on empty later on in the day, or at 9am if you're allergic to mornings. And don't wait until everyone's gone home to get a bit of peace and quiet to work: energy-wise you're very unlikely to be at your best after 9 hours in the office. "Set aside tasks that don't require much thought for your low points in the day," our expert says. So save that sale of the century for the morning when you're fresh as a daisy, and fill out that company expenses form you've been meaning to do for ages at the end of the day, when it doesn't matter as much if you're not firing on all cylinders.

Mistakes to avoid: Working like a deranged beast in the morning to prove you're Superwoman, skipping lunch and collapsing on your desk with exhaustion and low blood sugar by 4 o'clock. Needless to say, it's counterproductive.

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