⚡ Your Brain Peaks at 6 AM, But You're Scheduling Strategy Sessions at 3 PM

Why energy management beats time management (and how to design your day around your biology)

In partnership with

issue #15 | date: 08/06/2025

Editors Note

I used to think productivity meant filling every calendar slot. Then I tracked my energy levels for two weeks and discovered something shocking: my best strategic thinking happened before 8 AM, but I was wasting those golden hours on email & daycare drop off.

Now I protect my peak cognitive hours like a fortress. Deep work happens when my brain is fresh, not when my calendar is free. The result? Better decisions in less time, and I actually leave work at work.

This isn't about working more hours; it's about working with your natural rhythms instead of against them. The data on chronobiology and cognitive performance is clear: when you work matters as much as how you work.

In this issue:

  • Leadership roles at cool companies

  • IC positions at companies that help you level up

  • Automation that protects your focus time from meeting creep

  • The science-backed approach to energy-based scheduling

  • Frameworks for saying no without burning bridges

Let’s Get It!

Phedra Arthur Iruke

Editor in Chief

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Featured Job Listings

🏆 Top Picks of the Week (Hand-Picked, High-Impact Roles)

Role: Vice President of Production Operations


Company: Red 6
Location: On-site – Boulder, CO | Leadership
Why it’s great: Red 6 is redefining defense training through Augmented Reality. With their ATARS platform enabling next-gen air combat simulation outdoors, the company sits at the frontier of aerospace, AR, and national security tech. This VP role is critical: owning the full production value stream, standing up contract manufacturing at scale, and embedding DoD-grade quality systems. If you’ve ever wanted to bring bleeding-edge hardware to life—from lab to flight-ready—this is your moment.
Apply here: VP of Production Operations
Recruiter Contact: Bailie Pagliasotti

Role: Vice President, Strategic Delivery Office (US)


Company: PointClickCare
Location: Remote – USA
Why it’s great: PointClickCare is a healthcare tech leader powering one of North America’s largest care collaboration networks, solving deeply meaningful challenges in senior care transitions and outcomes through AI‑driven delivery platforms. This VP role sits at the intersection of business transformation, AI adoption, and delivery governance—ideal if you’re a delivery leader ready to shape enterprise‑scale program execution and strategic change.
Apply here: Vice President, Strategic Delivery Office
Recruiter Contact: Saige Musgrave

Role: Director, Strategic Initiatives


Company: Hello Heart
Location: Remote – USA
Why it’s great: Healthcare meets tech with impact here. Hello Heart’s mission to reduce cardiovascular risk via digital therapeutics has earned $138M+ in VC backing and validation from the American Heart Association. The Director of Strategic Initiatives role leads high‑leverage projects—from market expansion to commercialization—and owns structured execution from zero to one in a fast‑growing, mission‑driven environment.
Apply here: Director, Strategic Initiatives
Recruiter Contact: Orsolya Endrefi

Role: Head of Strategy & Planning


Company: Lime
Location: Remote – USA or UK
Why it’s great: This is a rare opportunity to shape the strategic future of the world’s largest shared electric vehicle company. As Lime’s micromobility footprint expands globally, this role partners directly with the COO and executive leadership to lead high-impact projects across fleet planning, market entry, and financial forecasting. The work sits at the intersection of sustainability, urban transformation, and operational scale—plus, it’s well-compensated with equity and global scope.
Apply here: Head of Strategy & Planning
Recruiter Contact: [email protected]

Role Suggestion: Head of Delivery


Company: Nudge
Location: San Francisco
Why it’s needed: Nudge is building the future of neurotech—using non-invasive ultrasound to modulate the brain and unlock breakthroughs in mental health, addiction, sleep, and cognition. But science alone won’t get them there. They need a Head of Delivery to operationalize the cross-functional firepower of engineers, scientists, and product thinkers—turning cutting-edge prototypes into scalable, shipped systems. This role would drive program velocity, de-risk delivery bottlenecks, and own execution frameworks as Nudge grows from lab to launch. If you want to be at the frontier of tech and health, this is where it starts.
Pitch this role to Nudge: Apply via General Application or reach out directly to the founding team to pitch your fit.
Founding Team: Co-founded by neuroscientist‑entrepreneurs from Stanford and backed by top VCs in the frontier tech space. Start with Quintin.

📌 IC & Manager Roles

Role

Company

Location (City, State)

Format

Apply

Strategy & Execution Manager

Databricks

San Francisco, CA

Full‑time, Remote‑hybrid

Apply 

Principal Project Manager

Nava

Remote (USA)

Full‑time, Remote

Apply

Senior Learning Program Manager

Crunchyroll

Los Angeles, CA

Full‑time, On‑site/Hybrid

Apply 

Sales Readiness Program Manager

Celonis

TBD (EMEA)

Full‑time, Remote/EU-based

Apply

Principal Technical Program Manager (API Development)

Veradigm / Allscripts

Remote (US)

Full‑time, Remote

Apply 

Manager, Technology Consulting (Implementation) – Employee Experience

Qualtrics

Chicago, IL

Full‑time, Hybrid

Apply

Technical Program Manager – Inventory (Bidding)

StackAdapt

Remote – Canada

Full‑time, Remote

Apply

Associate Program Manager

Lead Bank

Remote – USA

Full‑time, Remote

Apply

Principal Technical Program Manager (API Development)

Veradigm

Remote – USA

Full‑time, Remote

Apply

Product Operations Coordinator

Snap Inc.

Los Angeles, CA

On-site (4+ days/week)

Apply

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Bots Take the Wheel

🤖 Focus Time Protection System

The Problem: Calendar gets hijacked by low-value meetings, destroying deep work time.

The Solution: Automated focus time protection that guards your peak cognitive hours.

Use Case 1: Smart Calendar Blocking Set up Google Calendar automation that automatically blocks your peak energy hours (based on your chronotype) for deep work. Include automatic decline of non-essential meetings during protected time with suggested alternative slots.

Use Case 2: Meeting-Free Zone Enforcement Configure Slack workflows that automatically respond to meeting requests during focus hours with your availability and preferred meeting times. Include context about why you protect certain hours for strategic work.

Use Case 3: Energy-Based Task Routing Create Asana automation that automatically schedules high-cognitive tasks during your peak hours and routine tasks during low-energy periods. Include workload balancing to prevent cognitive overload.

Visionary Voices 

📝 Cal Newport, Author of "Deep Work"

Why he matters Newport transformed how knowledge workers approach productivity by proving that sustained focus, not frantic activity, drives meaningful achievement in the modern economy. As Georgetown University's Provost's Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and author of eight books with over 2 million copies sold in 40+ languages, he coined the term "deep work" and pioneered the digital minimalism movement before it became mainstream. His latest philosophy of "slow productivity" challenges the broken modern definition of productivity that treats busyness as a proxy for useful effort, offering knowledge workers a sustainable path to high-value output without burnout. Newport's work has become the scientific foundation for sustainable high performance, proving that the ability to focus without distraction is becoming both increasingly rare and increasingly valuable.

What he brings Evidence-based frameworks for protecting cognitive resources in an attention economy designed to fracture focus. Newport combines his MIT training in computer science with practical insights from studying how history's most creative knowledge workers—philosophers, scientists, artists, and writers—mastered the art of producing valuable work with staying power. His systematic approach to attention management provides concrete strategies for identifying and eliminating shallow work while maximizing time spent on cognitively demanding tasks that create disproportionate value. His "slow productivity" philosophy centers on three principles: do fewer things, work at a natural pace, and obsess over quality—offering a counterintuitive path to both higher output and greater satisfaction.

His philosophy "You can't be busy and frenetic and bouncing off the walls with 100 projects if you're obsessed about doing something really well," Newport explains. He argues that "the key to meaningful work is in the decision to keep returning to the efforts you find important. Not in getting everything right every time." His approach rejects the performative busyness of modern work culture, instead advocating for what he calls "a philosophy for organizing knowledge work efforts in a sustainable and meaningful manner" based on seasonal rhythms and natural productivity cycles rather than artificial urgency.

Call to action Implement Newport's deep work methodology and embrace slow productivity principles to reclaim control over your attention and output. Essential resources include:

Core Books:

Digital Presence:

  • Study Hacks Blog - Weekly essays on productivity, focus, and meaningful work since 2007

  • Deep Questions Podcast - Regular analysis of listener questions on cultivating focus and depth

  • The New Yorker - Contributing writer exploring technology's impact on work and life

Start with a 30-day "digital declutter" and implement time-blocking to experience immediate benefits of deep work principles.

Cat Relaxing GIF by The Dodo

Gif by nickatnite on Giphy

Weekly Recommendations

A bracing piece that reframes being a beginner not as a weakness, but a strategic moat you can own; perfect mindset fuel for delivery pros deep in growth mode.

Meta’s bold move to let candidates code inside AI-enabled interviews signals a shift in hiring norms and what delivery tools we’ll need next.

A moving essay about swapping isolation for interdependence, critical listening for leaders building networks, not just org charts.

A fascinating neuro-insight—that deliberate pacing, not rushing, makes time feel richer, especially relevant for over-scheduled managers in delivery cycles.

A smart exploration into how digital overload is eroding focus—and what you can do to help your teams think, not just do.

In partnership with Askalawyeroncall.com

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Professional Development

📚 Energy-Based Productivity for Delivery Leaders

Research from Harvard Business School shows that managing energy, not time, is the key to sustainable high performance. Here's how to apply this to delivery work.

Map Your Energy Patterns

Track your energy levels hourly for two weeks. Most people have 2-3 peak periods daily. Schedule your most cognitively demanding work (strategy, complex problem-solving, difficult conversations) during these windows.

Protect Your Peak Hours 

Guard your highest-energy time like it's sacred. If you're sharpest at 7 AM, don't waste it on email. Use it for the work that only you can do and requires your best thinking.

Batch Similar Tasks 

Group similar activities to minimize context switching. Handle all stakeholder communications in one block, do all administrative tasks together, batch all one-on-ones into specific days.

Design Recovery Rituals 

Build micro-recovery into your day. Five-minute walks between meetings, breathing exercises before difficult conversations, or brief meditation sessions can restore cognitive capacity.

Match Task Complexity to Energy Levels 

  • High-energy periods: Strategic planning, complex problem-solving, difficult decisions

  • Medium-energy periods: Team meetings, stakeholder updates, collaborative work

  • Low-energy periods: Administrative tasks, email, routine documentation

Create Energy Boundaries

Learn to say "Let me check my calendar and get back to you" instead of immediately agreeing to requests. This gives you time to assess whether the ask aligns with your energy and priorities.

Optimize Your Environment

Control what you can: lighting, temperature, noise levels, and workspace setup. Small environmental changes can significantly impact cognitive performance and energy levels.

TL;DR: Your energy is finite and follows predictable patterns. Design your schedule around your biology, not your calendar's availability. Protect peak hours for peak work, and everything else becomes easier.

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  • Recruiters/Hiring Managers: Get your job in front our community. You got it - just hit reply.

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The Business of Delivery

Quiet moves. Bold Careers.

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