Waking up Early Is a Load of Bullsh!t

Here are 3 reasons why.

If you’ve sought out advice for being productive, you’ve probably heard the advice about waking up early. Maybe you‘ve tried waking up early yourself and found it to be miserable.

But the sacrifice of sleeping in must surely be worth it, right?

I have found forcing myself to wake up early to not be as effective as they claim.

1. Not Everyone Is Productive in the Morning

When do you feel you get your best work done? For me, I tend to be more productive in the afternoons/evenings. In fact, I have published all of my articles in the evenings so far, and it’s 10 PM as I write this. But it’s harder to be productive if I’m already tired by that point.

Older adults’ peak performance on memory and cognitive inhibition tasks tends to be in the morning while younger adults’ peak performance tends to be in the afternoon. -Marisa Knight and Mara Mather

Everyone’s peak period of the day is different. Therefore, one schedule will not necessarily work with everyone.

2. Getting Enough Sleep Is More Important For Productivity

Sleep has largely been associated with affecting productivity. The average person needs to sleep 7 to 8 hours per night, although the amount of sleep required can vary per person. If you cut into sleep time, it will hurt your work.

Inadequate sleep lowers productivity, impedes the development of human capital, and imposes large direct costs on society. — Matthew Gibson and Jeffrey Shrader

Having said that, getting up early doesn’t require cutting back on sleep if you go to bed earlier. Although, if your peak hours are in the evening, you might be cutting back on your productive time!

3. Waking up Early Doesn’t Work with All Schedules

Waking up early might work well if you work a 9–5 job, or determine your work hours. However, many people work night jobs or odd hours that simply might not work with working up early in the morning.

Similarly, you may have friends, family, or colleagues in another time zone, and need to communicate with them at odd hours of the night.

You will not be successful by waking up early if it conflicts with other limitations on your schedule.

Early Mornings Work for Some People

Having said that, waking up early does work for many. Just like people are productive later in the day, some people find they’re most efficient in the mornings. You can go to bed early, wake up early, and feel refreshed. Many have a schedule where they can take advantage of waking up early.

Blanket advice doesn’t always work for everyone. What’s most important is figuring out a schedule that works for you. It might even be not having a schedule. When you wake up doesn’t matter, feeling your best and putting out quality work does.