Green, Yellow, & Red Zones in AT YOUR BEST

“Most people have only three to five deeply productive hours in a day when their energy is at its peak. That’s it.” – Carey Nieuwhof 

You have likely noticed that there are certain times of the day when your energy is at its peak. It might be when you take your first sip of coffee in the morning or right after you’ve had lunch in the afternoon. It might even be at the end of the day when you rush to finish that final task before you go home. 

In his book, At Your Best, Carey Nieuwhof (pronounced “new-off”) calls these peak hours the “Green Zone.” Similarly, there is also the “Yellow Zone.” This is when you have moderate energy. Finally, there is the “Red Zone.” This is when you have low energy. 

Each zone has has its own characteristics:

• Green Zone characteristics: alert, creative, engaged, and productive.
• Yellow Zone characteristics: awake, helpful, present, and somewhat productive.
• Red Zone Characteristics: tired, bored, distracted, and unproductive.

Because we are most alert, creative, engaged, and productive in the Green Zone, Nieuwhof argues that this is when we should do our most important work. While “most important work” will vary from person to person, Nieuwhof offers some general suggestions. He suggests working on projects in the Green Zone, having meetings in the Yellow Zone, and checking emails in the Red Zone.

The meetings/Yellow Zone suggestion can be challenging when working with a large team. You might find that your Yellow Zone is someone else’s Green Zone. Because of that, it is important to consider scheduling “Focus Time” in your calendar for Green Zone work.

If you want to apply the Green, Yellow, and Red Zones to your work, think about the following questions:

• When are you most alert, creative, engaged, and productive?
• What tasks energize you? What tasks drain you?
• How can you start doing your most important work in your Green Zone? 

For a deeper dive, Carey Nieuwhof offers free downloadable worksheets to help leaders identify their Green, Yellow, and Red Zones. You can get his official resources here: careynieuwhof.com/downloads

_{Originally posted on November 30, 2023. Last updated on November 5, 2025.}