This Month We're …Getting Productive
Cosmopolitan - South Africa|December 2019
Do you spring out of bed wide awake ... then by 11am find that all you want to do is crawl under your desk and sleep? It could be that instead of being a morning or night person, you’re a blend of the two. Experts have now identified a third type of circadian rhythm – one where you wake up alert, are drowsy from 11am to 3pm, then feel productive until 10pm*. Sound familiar? Use the morning and late afternoon for creative tasks – and spend your sleepy hours on those that are admin heavy. Can you change your body clock? Turn over to find out...
This Month We're …Getting Productive

Can you retrain your body clock in three weeks?

As soon as the sun rises, I hide under my duvet. If I must emerge, I put the kettle in the fridge and wear jerseys inside out. At night, I could run a marathon and write a novel … it wouldn’t be good, but it would get done. Like one in four of us, I’m a night person. An owl, with fewer feathers.

When I worked from home, this wasn’t a problem. On weekdays, I’d write in the evenings, undistracted by e-mails. On weekends, I’d be the last person at a party. But earlier this year, I got an office job – 9.30am to 6pm – and it was miserable. So when I read about a regimen that could turn me into a morning person*, I wanted in.

The plan, devised by experts at the universities of Birmingham and Surrey, and Monash University in Australia, aimed to bring people’s body clocks forward by two hours. After three weeks, night people, they said, would be able to focus better in the mornings, feel more awake during the day and less stressed. Because as much as I like the nights, they don’t like me – studies show that night people have a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes and mental-health issues. Could I really change the habit of a lifetime? It was time to find out.

WEEK 1

This story is from the December 2019 edition of Cosmopolitan - South Africa.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the December 2019 edition of Cosmopolitan - South Africa.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM COSMOPOLITAN - SOUTH AFRICAView All
Marc Buckner
Cosmopolitan - South Africa

Marc Buckner

The Bachelor SA Season 2’s star is here to make you swoon. Find out why boss babes are ready to risk it all for this adventurous dog lover.

time-read
1 min  |
May 2020
I Tested Positive For The Alzheimer's Gene At 26 Years Old
Cosmopolitan - South Africa

I Tested Positive For The Alzheimer's Gene At 26 Years Old

A DNA testing kit is like a crystal ball, but what if you don’t like what you see?

time-read
3 mins  |
May 2020
Basically No-One Has A 28-Day Menstrual Cycle
Cosmopolitan - South Africa

Basically No-One Has A 28-Day Menstrual Cycle

Brought to you by: the idea of a ‘normal’ period is a lie

time-read
2 mins  |
May 2020
For Those Times When You're Like, ‘I Love You, But You're Annoying...'
Cosmopolitan - South Africa

For Those Times When You're Like, ‘I Love You, But You're Annoying...'

Coupledom can be hard!

time-read
5 mins  |
May 2020
How To Get Sh*t Done
Cosmopolitan - South Africa

How To Get Sh*t Done

Calling all procrastinators: sometimes getting started on a new project or goal can be the hardest part. Here’s how to stop putting it off and actually press go

time-read
5 mins  |
May 2020
Is Rage Bait Okay?
Cosmopolitan - South Africa

Is Rage Bait Okay?

It has become the new engagement strategy for many brands. Companies bait their followers into engaging with their content around topics that cause outrage. But is this okay? Social -media strategists Talya Goldberg and Jabulile Dlamini -Qwesha share their views.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 2020
Is Cardio A Scam? And 7 Other Not-stupid Questions About Fitness Things
Cosmopolitan - South Africa

Is Cardio A Scam? And 7 Other Not-stupid Questions About Fitness Things

Thanks for calling 0800 -WTF- Is -This

time-read
3 mins  |
May 2020
Hold The Phone
Cosmopolitan - South Africa

Hold The Phone

Zozibini Tunzi is here to remind you all to Take. Up. Space. She’s rewriting the pageantry rulebook, and she wants you to join in (in a bath, wearing sparkly boots, because that’s just how we roll).

time-read
10 mins  |
May 2020
How To Tell It Like It Is *And Finally Get A Promotion*
Cosmopolitan - South Africa

How To Tell It Like It Is *And Finally Get A Promotion*

Receiving constructive criticism on your work can be terrifying. But do it right and it can be a career game-changer.

time-read
5 mins  |
May 2020
What Makes A Compulsive Liar?
Cosmopolitan - South Africa

What Makes A Compulsive Liar?

We all do it. Tell those lit t le white lies to ourselves, and others. But what about those for whom lying is a way of life? Catriona Harvey-Jenner investigates the rise of a new kind of scammer.

time-read
10 mins  |
May 2020