Why Knowing Your Personal Patterns as a Business Person is the Ultimate Cheat Code

Unlock Your Business Potential by Hacking Yourself First

Forget the advice-givers with their “dream big” posters and colour-coded planners. Business success isn’t just about conquering markets or outsmarting competitors. It’s also about understanding the most complex, brilliant engine behind your business… you. Your patterns, quirks, and a slight obsession with fancy herbal teas are the real keys to levelling up. No blueprint, guru, or app can outshine the cheat code that is knowing yourself. Don’t believe me? Let’s talk driving. Sure, you cannot drive without knowing the rules; that’s why you have to get a license, right? But if you don’t know how to operate the vehicle, you won’t get far even with a license. Agreed?

Strap in; we’re about to explore why cracking the code of your own brain might just be more valuable than any Ivy League degree. And yes, there will be awkward laughter and aha moments along the way.

1. Habits Are Overhyped (Why Trends Like the 5 a.m. Club Might Be Ruining Your Life)

You’ve heard it before. “Successful people wake up at 5 a.m., journal, run 12 miles, and have protein-packed smoothies… before sunrise!” But what if I told you the 5 a.m. Club could be your mortal enemy? Shocking, right?

Here’s the twist. Following someone else’s habit template is like wearing shoes two sizes too small. Sure, they might look great, but you’re limping through your life. Habits, those darling darlings of self-help books, are merely surface-level routines. They don’t account for the things that truly matter, like your natural energy peaks, your creative rhythms, or the fact that you think best when you’re shower singing like Beyoncé at 10 p.m.

Researchers say that the biological clocks in our brains, known as circadian rhythms, naturally direct when we feel most alert. They steer everything from energy levels to decision-making power (Smith, 2022). Forcing yourself into someone else’s rhythm is like feeding fish tacos to a cat. Sure, it could work, but why would you?

FYI, people love to forget that we humans are herd animals. And as such, we are made of a variety of differences to help the herd survive (Henley, 2021). Find your spot in the pack and stop trying to be what the next gal is.

Your Move:
Start by tracking your energy patterns. For one week, jot down when you feel your best, your worst, and when you instinctively dodge emails like they’re social obligations at a pyramid scheme party. Use this data to structure your key activities during your most productive hours. Pro tip? Ditch the morning peloton rides if your creativity thrives after dark. (It’s ONE week. You can do it. I believe in you, even if you don’t.)

2. Patterns Trump Habits (And Why You’re the Main Event Here)

Patterns are habits taken to the next level, kind of like the difference between playing checkers and crushing someone at chess. Habits are just loops. Patterns? They’re the entire system of how you think, prioritize, and take action. They reflect your lifestyle, environment, and, yes, even your favourite Netflix binges (don’t lie, we all have them).

While habits tell you to do things like drink eight glasses of water or sort your closet by colour, patterns tell you why you accidentally crushed that third cup of coffee or procrastinated on that investor pitch. They reveal your triggers and tendencies better than your therapist at a discounted Friday session (Simons, 2025).

Example? Imagine you’re a night owl from the “Why We Sleep” (Walker, 2018) school of thought. Yet every self-help book screams, “Hey champ, get up at dawn to seize the day!” So you drag that pretty little tush out of bed at 5 a.m. and then sleepwalk ALL DAY. Why? Because your brain naturally wakes at 10, and you just cut your own sleep (and the most critical parts of it!), which affects your memory, healing and, well, everything! Adopting patterns means acknowledging and tweaking your routine to fit your inclinations—not fighting against them.

Your Move:
Dive deep, Sherlock. (Yes, yes, you know by now I kind of have an obsession with the guy.) Are your afternoons filled with productive sprints or meme-scrolling black holes? Knowing these patterns can help you schedule smarter. Play to your strengths. If your brain doesn’t wake up before 10 a.m., stop booking important meetings at 9. Trust me, no one’s impressed by your zombie face. We will discuss sleep in more detail in my next article, so if you’re interested, be sure to subscribe so you won’t miss it:

3. Popular Advice is Like Pleather Pants (It Doesn’t Always Fit)

“Follow the greats,” they say. Except, not everyone is Jay-Z or Elon Musk. Some of us are not productive, working 18 hours a day or tweeting at 3 a.m. – Shocker, I know! Popular business advice is often like pleather pants; they look shiny and cool but sweltering after 10 minutes.

Take this beloved mantra instead: “Always say yes to every opportunity.” It’s the stuff of motivational posters and viral tweets, right? But here’s the rub—saying “yes” isn’t the problem. The issue? No one explains how to spot good opportunities versus the ones that leave you hosting Zoom calls about the benefits of sentient houseplants. The advice assumes that your judgment already comes pre-loaded with a magic filter for golden chances. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t.

True, saying “yes” is crucial in business, but it’s more of an art than a reflex. The missing ingredient here is discernment. Without it, you’re a yes-machine spinning in 50 different directions, juggling the meaningful with the meaningless. Instead, focus on sharpening your instincts and asking, “Will this move me closer to where I want to be?” Only then does a “yes” actually mean something, and a “no” becomes your secret power move.

Finding your groove means aligning instincts with actions but being cautious of advice that sounds too one-size-fits-all. Remember, some paths are meant to be rewritten entirely (by you, of course).

Your Move:
Find guidance that matches your reality, not your fantasy. Look at people on a similar wavelength who’ve walked paths like yours and count some probabilities. Learn from those who are they’re like you, juggling three side hustles or maybe making strides in your niche. Filter out noise by curating information sources and focus on advice that feels more like an “inclusive yoga class” and less like a “Navy SEAL training manual.” Want a piece of “mom wisdom”? If it’s good for babies, it’s good for everyone—from skincare through food choices, and, you guessed it, when operating that vehicle, that is you.

The Wise Wink of Self-Awareness

Yes, knowing your patterns isn’t as social media-glamorous as, say, journaling on a minimalist balcony while drinking matcha. But it’s real. And real might be inconvenient, but it works. Aligning with your personal data means cutting through the BS and building a business routine that’s uniquely yours. Success isn’t about following pre-packaged advice but tuning into your intuition while sharpening your patterns.

The result? A customized business strategy tailored to you as one hip, slightly chaotic human with brilliant ideas. Now, go harness your cheat code.

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References

• Simons, J. (2025). Egg-laying patterns of chickens in colder climates. Journal of Agricultural Science.
• Smith, L. (2022). Circadian rhythms and human productivity. Human Biology Review.
• Henley, P. (2021). Chronotypes and performance in business professionals. Sleep and Success Quarterly.
• Walker, M. (2018). Why we sleep. Penguin Books.

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