Two-Morning Energy Cycle
Use a midday nap to create a second high-energy start
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 92%
Collins describes organizing his day around two distinct starts rather than one continuous energy curve. The first morning follows nighttime sleep and carries his most intense creative work, ideally beginning around 4:00 a.m. When his energy later falls, he takes a nap and treats waking as a second morning instead of as the middle of an already depleted day. The mechanism is not simply adding sleep. It is using the reset to create another psychologically fresh activation point, then assigning activities according to the energy available in each window. Collins contrasts this rest-to-activation rhythm with remaining at a persistent middle level of effort, and his team recognizes the nap as preparation for the second morning.
Origin
Collins explains that his ability to fall asleep and wake quickly lets him organize work around a first morning and a post-nap second morning.
Core principles
- 01A nap can reset energy rather than merely interrupt the day
- 02Different activities fit different energy windows
- 03Rapid transitions between rest and full activation preserve capacity
How to run it
- 1
Identify the first morning
Find the earliest reliable period when attention and energy are naturally high.
Pro tip Collins prefers roughly 4:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m.
Watch out Do not reduce nighttime sleep merely to imitate an early start.
- 2
Assign the hardest work
Use the first morning for the most cognitively intense creative task rather than routine administration.
Pro tip Begin quickly so the quiet window is not consumed by setup.
Watch out Protecting the window matters more than copying Collins's exact clock time.
- 3
Reset with a nap
When the first energy cycle has run down, take a restorative nap rather than forcing a prolonged middle-intensity state.
Pro tip Use a consistent cue so colleagues understand that the second work cycle follows.
Watch out A nap that harms nighttime sleep defeats the purpose of the cycle.
- 4
Start the second morning
Treat waking as a fresh activation point and move directly into the work suited to that renewed state.
Pro tip Notice whether the second morning supports creative, social, or operational work best.
Watch out Do not assume the second window must match the first in duration or intensity.
- 5
Tune activities to energy
Observe performance across both windows and systematically place each activity where it fits best.
Pro tip Adjust the schedule from observed energy rather than an idealized routine.
Watch out Do not keep a timing pattern that repeatedly produces worse work.
In the wild
Collins fell asleep backstage shortly before addressing several thousand people. He woke when his team came for him, immediately became alert, and walked onstage ready to perform.
→ The nap preserved rest until the moment full activation was required.
Common mistakes
Running at a simmering six
Remaining partly activated all day can consume energy without delivering either real recovery or full-intensity work.
Copying the clock instead of the cycle
The reusable mechanism is a rest-reset-work rhythm, not a requirement to wake at Collins's preferred hour.
Is it for you?
Best for
People who can nap reliably and control at least part of their daily schedule.
Not ideal for
People whose sleep health, care duties, or fixed workplace schedule makes daytime napping impractical.
From the transcript
“I get two mornings a day. I get first morning, you know, that when after a night's sleep, but then I get second morning, which…”
“And then I've learned really systematically what kinds of activities really fit with what times of day.”
From the episode
#856: Jim Collins — What to Make of a Life and How to Maximize Your Return on Luck
Jim Collins