Early bird or night owl? Malta’s business leaders reveal their favourite time of day

Are you an early bird that brims with energy at the dawn of a new day, or more of a night owl that feels most inspired as the stars shine overhead?

Some schools of thought dictate that your preferred time of day can say a lot about your personality, so why not put it to the test? Here’s what Malta’s business leaders had to say about their preferred time of day in MaltaCEOs 2021 – and what this could mean about them.

Morning

The morning, “a time for intention-setting that helps me focus on the day ahead”, as KPMG’s Andre Zarb describes it, came in as the favourite among the majority of the CEOs we interviewed. People who prefer sunrise and the early morning are thought to be positive and are great at coming up with new ideas, which are excellent traits to associate with 42 per cent of respondents. Among these are Maltco Lotteries CEO Vasileios Kasiotakis, who’s preferred time is between 6.30am and 7.30am, or what he calls his “planning time”; GO CEO Nikhil Patil, who loves the early morning “before the world wakes up”; and Carblu Malta’s Jamie Houston, who enjoys “sunrise at the Grand Harbour with a coffee.”

Afternoon

Meanwhile, 12 per cent of the CEOs we interviewed chose the afternoon – a time of day which is associated with creativity. People who prefer the afternoon are thought to be social, adventurous and open-minded. MJMDA CEO Matthew J Mercieca is among the business leaders who favour this time of day, choosing lunchtime, when he “can take stock of the day” as his preferred time.

Evening

The second most popular option among Malta’s business leaders is the evening, with 37 per cent of respondents claiming it as their favourite time of day. Many CEOs, including MAPFRE MSV Life’s David Curmi and MCAST’s James Calleja associate it with being able to unwind after a day’s work, while Marsovin’s Jeremy Cassar and FJVA’s Adriana Camilleri Vassallo enjoy putting their kids to bed and “catching up on their favourite moments of the day.” It’s no surprise then, that people who prefer the evening are thought to be family-oriented and trustworthy pacifiers and peacemakers.

Night

The least popular time of day among our CEOs, by a small margin, is night-time, with only 10 per cent choosing this option. Among them are People & Skin’s Joanna Delia, Rose Anne Cuschieri, of Malta’s Further and Higher Education Authority, and Maverick Slots CEO Enrico Bradamante. And while it would make sense that this option is the least popular, it bodes well for them too – people who feel most at ease in the night are often thought to live life on their own terms and have a passionate side.

Which of these matches you most? Does your preferred time of day describe your personality?