The four seasons of productivity

The surprising link between nature’s rhythms and sustainable working

Have you ever noticed the shoots of spring flowers appearing? How determined and confident they seem, despite being small?

Those tiny, green tips always stop me in my tracks. They don't rush. They don't appear on any particular day. They grow when the conditions are right. Every year, they remind me that there's a season for everything.

Seeing them emerge again this January got me thinking: what if our productivity works in the same way?

Nothing in nature flowers all year round - yet so many of us expect ourselves to "bloom" all day. We push on when, in reality, we’re designed far more like those shoots - influenced by environmental conditions and driven by natural rhythms.

What if thriving at work is less about pushing and forcing ourselves to get something done — and more about aligning with the seasons inside us, as our energy waxes and wanes?

Image: Daffodil bulbs Ralphs_photos, Pixabay

Seasonally designed – our circadian rhythms and chronotypes

Every process in the body has a rhythm. Those with a roughly 24 hour cycle – sleep/wake, body temperature, cortisol - are called circadian rhythms. They’re governed by an internal master clock located in the brain (suprachiasmatic nucleus) that acts as an internal pacemaker.

Not everyone’s clock keeps the same time. The majority of us are early to rise, ready to focus in the morning, some get going later and feel more productive in the evening, whilst others are somewhere in between.

These differences have led scientists to divide our inherent preferences into 4 chronotypes determined by when you naturally feel sleepy and alert (Breus, 2024). None are better than others. They’re simply different, like bulbs that flower at different times.

The Lilly saves her display for autumn, with some species flowers lasting into November. No amount of feeding or wishing will make a Lilly bloom alongside a Daffodil.

Knowing your chronotype and designing your day accordingly has been shown to improve sleep, mood and focus.

A four season model of human productivity

Spring — new beginnings and purposeful momentum

Spring sees the bulb intentionally push through the soil towards the light.

In our working lives, spring is initiation. It's you starting your day feeling optimistic and mentally spacious, as you tune in to work again. It comes with an urge to plan and to organise.

Spring energy is light, fresh, exploratory - the perfect time for setting direction, scoping projects, and sketching plans. Your job in spring isn't to bloom or finish; it's to begin forward motion.

Try: 20–30 minutes of “first push” work: creating a list, outlining your day or naming your top priorities.

Summer — steady growth and sustained action

Summer is the time of full leaf and longer light. The green shoots have become a flourishing plant - consistent, strong and reliably doing what it’s designed to.

Summer mirrors our productive, focused, doing phase: a time for execution, delivery, and sustained concentration. Think consistent effort, deep work blocks, delivering, presenting and moving things over the line.

Try: Create a daily summer block (60–120 minutes) for your highest priority task. No notifications. No multitasking. Pure, steady progress.

Autumn — gathering and letting go

After flowering, the plant continues photosynthesis directing food down into the bulb for next year’s growing season. When done, its leaves die down.

In work terms, during the Autumn of our day, we prepare to stop and store information for the next work cycle. This is your review and reflection period: a time for noting things that have been completed or lessons learned, celebrating achievements and closing loops.

Try: An end of day “harvest ritual”: What did I complete? What did I learn? What can I take forward? What can I release?

Winter — rest and recuperation

Winter isn’t an ending; its a strategic withdrawal. Above ground growth ends so it can conserve energy, survive unfavourable conditions, and prepare for the next growing season. The plant stops growing because rest is part of the cycle.

Without it, spring can't happen.

Similarly, we must stop work and complete our own effort-recovery cycle. It’s our daily winter time that sustains our ability to think, do and work well.

Try: Create an intentional winter: an end of work ritual that signals “rest now”.

Benefits of working with your natural rhythm

1. Sustainable performance: matching tasks to when you feel most creative and productive, you prevent burnout and the need to rework

2. Better focus and flow: planning deep work at times of inner summer means you can work steadily

3. Clearer planning and decision-making: taking time to harvest at the end of work turns experience into strategy

4. Improved wellbeing: aligning with your internal energy rhythm and natural rest cycle stress reduces

5. More enjoyment and ease: fewer “pushing against yourself” moments leads to less friction and more joy.

What are your essential growing conditions?

As well as working with our chronotype and our energy levels, just like a plant, each of us needs specific conditions to flourish — and those conditions are deeply personal.

When coaching someone in optimising their day, I use this analogy asking “If you were a plant, what conditions would help you bloom and grow?”

• Soil: What environment do you do best in? Calm? Background noise? Order? People around you?

• Light: What helps you feel alert? Bright light? A standing start? Fresh air?

• Water: What hydrates your mind and mood? Breaks? Connection? Music?

• Nutrients: What inputs fuel you? Learning? Rest? Discussion? Creativity?

• Container: What boundaries help you thrive? Protected focus time? Fewer meetings? Defined hours?

• Support: Who (or what) is your trellis? A coworker, a coach, an online tool?

When you establish the right conditions working well stops feeling hard and starts becoming a natural process.

Implementation strategies

Identify your chronotype

• Keep a simple rhythm journal: track when you feel most alert, most creative and when you need downtime.

• Use this to design a personalised, “rhythm aligned” workflow.

Daily strategies

• Spring starts: begin with a “first push” – plan, organise, map out your day

• Summer action - one protected deep-work block per day (60-120mins)

• Autumn harvest - close your day with a quick review and tomorrow starter note

• Winter rest – end your work day with a resting ritual.

Adjust Your Growing Conditions

• Notice what environments help or hinder you - change one variable at a time and notice impact

• Set clearer boundaries - fewer meetings in your summer block; email windows instead of constant checking.

• Use start/stop rituals - A 'workday open' (organise and plan) and a 'workday close'

• Build in nourishment - plan breaks into your day every 45-90 minutes

A simple experiment for this week

1. Name your seasons - plot each day's spring, summer, autumn and winter times

2. Dedicate a summer block to a deep work task - no interruptions

3. Try a Friday harvest - write your wins, lessons and store ideas for the following week

4. Notice which environments help or hinder you.

Small shifts, big impact.

Your rhythm is your wisdom

When you stop demanding endless summer and start following your inner seasons, work feels less like a struggle. As you continue to work with that rhythm - not against it - everything feels easier and more sustainable.

And, when you pair your rhythm with the right growing conditions - the things you uniquely need - you create a work life that feels both productive and humane.

Nature isn't in a hurry, and yet everything gets done. You can work the same way.

Trust your rhythm and allow yourself to grow into your day the way a spring bulb does - intentionally, with rest built in.

Take care of you.

Would you like to structure your day for better focus and productivity? If so, you might be a fit for my Optimise Coaching Programme. It's designed for people who want to organise their work routine in a way that supports them to concentrate and get things done. If that sounds like you - get in touch to arrange a time to talk. No strings, no pressure. Just two people having a chat to see if this is right for you.

References and resources

Breus, M. J. (2024, January 29). Chronotypes. Sleep Doctor. https://sleepdoctor.com/pages/chronotypes