Summary

The article argues that productivity is not dependent on waking up at 5:00 AM but rather on finding a sleep schedule that aligns with one's individual biological rhythms and lifestyle.

Abstract

The article challenges the popular "hustle culture" narrative that equates early rising with increased productivity. It emphasizes that individual sleep needs vary based on age, health, and personal circumstances. The author shares their personal experience of not benefiting from an early wake-up time, despite maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Instead, they found that a later sleep and wake schedule better suited their energy levels and productivity patterns. The article suggests that while some people may thrive with an early start, others may not, and it's crucial to experiment and find what works best for oneself. It also points out that the idea of having more hours in the day by waking up early is a misconception since it's just a shift in the time one is awake, not an actual gain of time. The author concludes that self-awareness and personal experimentation are key to determining the most effective sleep schedule for individual productivity.

Opinions

Waking up early does not universally enhance productivity and may be detrimental for some individuals.
People have unique sleep requirements and optimal productivity times, which should be determined through personal experimentation.
The notion that waking up early provides extra hours is a myth; it's simply a reallocation of one's waking hours.
Successful people's schedules may not be suitable for everyone, and individuals must find what works best for them.
Factors such as lifestyle, work, and family responsibilities should influence one's sleep and wake times.
It's important to be self-aware of how different sleep schedules affect one's energy and productivity levels.

You Don’t Need To Wake Up At 5:00 AM To Be Productive

You need to sleep at times best for you.

I don’t know when the hustling mentality became popular. It seems like every time I go on YouTube or read my news feed, I get content on how to wake up at 5:00 AM and be productive.

Over time, the trend has gotten more outrageous. There are people posting stuff for 4:30 AM, then 4:00 AM… I’ve even seen 3:00 AM once!

I have tried to hop on the hustle train and wake up very early to get stuff done. What I realized, however, is that waking up early was actually hurting my productivity!

It didn’t make any sense. I slept a full 8 hours, I was eating healthy, and I was exercising consistently. Yet, when I wake up before 6:00 AM, I never have the energy to last me an entire day. When I switched back to my regular sleep schedule, everything was fine again.

Waking up at 5:00 AM isn’t for everyone. Some people will benefit significantly from it; others will not.

We’re All Built Different

Different people at different ages with varying health and conditions will need different amounts of sleep. Although doctors generally recommend 8 hours of sleep for the average adult, some people can work well on less sleep while others prefer more.

We also perform differently depending on when we sleep. For me, it turns out sleeping at 12:00 AM and waking up at 8:00 AM actually gives me more energy than sleeping between 9:00 PM to 5:00 AM despite both durations equalling eight hours.

Different people also perform differently at different times. I noticed that with my regular sleep routine (sleeping at 11:00 PM — 12:00 AM and waking up between 7:00 AM — 8:00 AM), I am the most productive between 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. My productivity drops significantly in the afternoon, and then my energy comes back past 7:00 PM.

If I wake up earlier than 7:00 AM, I feel very cold. Although I can get stuff done in the early morning, I never last the entire day. As a result, I hardly get anything done.

Since we’re all different, plopping yourself into a successful person’s schedule will not necessarily make you successful. People can’t tell you what’s best for you — they can only tell you what they think is best for you. It’s up to you to figure out what works and doesn’t work for you via personal experimentation.

We All Have 24 Hours In A Day

The waking up early hustling mentality creates an idea that we have an extra time advantage over ordinary people because we wake up earlier. If you wake up at 5:00 AM versus 8:00 AM, then you have an additional 3 hours to yourself.

But this isn’t true.

All you’re doing when you wake up early is shifting the time you’re awake. If all conditions are the same, a person working 3 hours at night versus a person working 3 hours in the morning is still a person working 3 hours.

Of course, our working conditions are never the same, along with our bodies. Apart from how we’re biologically affected, some people will benefit more from working early than later. Examples include parents who work full-time 9–5 jobs.

If a parent has to work a 9–5 job and then come back and take care of their children in the evening, working on a side-hustle in the early morning can be an excellent idea. The significant benefit of working in the early morning for parents is that nobody is awake. You get time to yourself that you don’t often get at a 9–5 job and in the evening taking care of children.

There are various situations where people have circumstances that make working very early beneficial. It’s up to you to identify if you fit those circumstances.

For me, I don’t belong in those situations. In fact, I’m in a position where waking up later is something that I often have to do since my badminton training usually has me getting back home at 10:00 PM.

Besides looking for your most productive times, you have to look at the things you have to do in a day and adjust your schedule to the best of your ability.

Experimentation Is Key

Since everybody is so different, I can’t tell you what sleeping times are the best for you. Some people will be successful from waking up at 5:00 AM every morning; other people will not.

What it all comes down to is self-experimentation. It would help if you spent some time finding your best times to sleep and make sure to be self-aware of how you’re feeling.