Structure Your Work to Avoid Temptation

August 22, 2014

Structure Your Work to Avoid Temptation

Resisting temptation takes energy — which is why, unsurprisingly, when our energy is low we’re more inclined to behave unethically. Research suggests that because morning people and night owls have differing energy levels throughout the day, their willpower also ought to wax and wane. And indeed, new research shows that morning people are less ethical at night, and night owls are less ethical in the morning. We can better control our own work schedules with our chronotypes in mind. Many of us are tempted to squeeze in that extra hour of work. Well, if you’re a morning person squeezing it in at night, you create a situation in which resisting temptation may be harder than ever (not to mention the outcome may suffer). And night owls who schedule extra hours for themselves early in the morning face the same issue. 

Adapted from “ Morning People Are Less Ethical at Night” by Christopher M. Barnes, Brian Gunia, and Sunita Sah.