Peak Performance

What a story this will make!! Or not

It’s 7:15 PM now, and I’ve been awake since 4:45 AM. It’s been a hectic day, with three Zoom conference calls, plus one regular call from Evan. I made dinner, then Steve and I took a walk in the neighborhood, during which we waved (from a safe distance) to a variety of local peeps also out for very careful strolls. It was probably not the best idea to join an evening online writing group based in California starting tonight, but join I did.

 “Come write with us!! Tuesdays at 5:30 PM!” That was the come on, and I fell for it hook, line and sinker, conveniently forgetting that they meant 5:30 PM Pacific time, 8:30 PM here. I’ve been through this before, with an online writing class taught from San Francisco two summers ago. My fellow students (all young  West Coast residents) were super perky each week, whereas I could barely make it to the critique session that lasted until 10 PM. Mine was usually the last piece to be dealt with, and by then  I was so beat that neither praise nor criticism affected me in the slightest—I just wanted to sign off and go to bed. Two years older now, I anticipate a similar late evening slump, so it’ll be interesting.

I envy writers who know what time of day is optimum for them—their peak performance window. They either rise with the roosters and dash off a scintillating chapter or three before the world has awakened, or else they burn the midnight oil, churning out masterpieces into the wee hours. As for me, well, I remember a comedian saying, ‘I’m not a morning person. I’m not a night person. When AM I a person??” This is my question as well.

The problem with me is inconsistency. I have written good stuff at 6 AM and 11 PM, at dawn and dusk. Ditto dreadful stuff. Do I feel on top of my game early, or late in the day? Depends. While as a rule I am no longer usually very creative after 8:30 PM (so, naturally, that is when my online class will commence tonight!), on occasion I have an inspiration during the evening, and then am on a writing roll until long after the fam is slumbering. There is no rhyme or reason for the variance—it does not relate to quantity of sleep the night before, or my caffeine intake. And it goes beyond writing: I’ve exercised in the morning, afternoon and night (not on the same day, silly!) and I cannot tell WHEN I am more coordinated. So I have found it simpler to just refrain from exercising altogether.

Peak performance, for me, is an elusive butterfly: in theory you can catch it, but it’s darned hard, and just because you catch one doesn’t mean you’ll ever succeed again.

The assigned writing prompts for tonight’s class include a lemon, a photograph and some coffee beans. Not feeling very “peak”-y at the moment. Any ideas?