There's an abundance of reasons not to do it.
Most of us are not trying to be navy seals and the whole "I'll sleep when
I'm dead" mentality is actually really harmful,
and it's probably going to kill you sooner,
but perhaps there are some advantages to
shifting your sleeping hours so that you're just going to bed earlier and waking up earlier.
I would like to provide you with five reasons that you might want to consider
waking up at 4am or 5am or 6am - earlier.
If you don't fit any of these five qualifications,
then maybe this isn't for you - but if you fit into one or more of them, then perhaps you might
possibly consider trying it out and seeing if it has the advantages that it supposedly does.
I know from experience that it takes about a week to get used to it,
so I'd say if you're trying to set up an experiment for yourself, maybe commit to a month,
because then, at that point, you'll be able to truly reap the benefits.
Number one: if you're not as physically active as you'd like to be.
We all know exercise is good for your body: your immune system, your brain,
your mental health, and your general happiness.
Especially right now, these things are more important than ever.
Physical activity is a necessity for maintaining your maximum level of well-being.
And though we all know this, not all of us act on it.
Waking up early and working out first thing makes it no longer an option.
Waiting until the end of the day, once you've drained all of your willpower,
is going to make it feel like a choice -
and most likely you'll choose to watch Netflix instead.
If you're nervous about being around a lot of people right now,
then there's no better time to be out in the world than really really early in the morning.
Go outside at 4am and try to walk past anyone.
Or if you're a gym member, you know the most
sanitized that that building will ever be is right when the doors open.
Two: if you find yourself consuming rather than creating.
If you're someone who always feels like there's not enough hours in the day to
pursue your own dreams and ideas and interests, then this one's for you.
Let's assume you work eight hours a day and sleep eight hours a day.
Maybe you work out for 30 minutes, shower for 30 minutes,
and spend a total of two hours prepping and eating food daily.
That's at least 19 hours of predetermined activity, and that's not counting if you're
still commuting or if you spend any time cleaning or doing small chores around your house - like
washing dishes or getting the mail.
Let's actually add another hour on for these miscellaneous time expenses.
Since you obviously only have 24 hours in a day, and 20 of them now are predetermined,
then you have four hours every day to spend as you choose.
And we tend to spend these four-ish hours after work in consumption mode - scrolling
through social media, streaming tv shows, or even reading books - it's all consumption.
And it's great for when you feel tired and stressed after school or work
and you deserve an escape, but what if you were to shift your sleeping time and
waking time so that you have two hours at night and two hours in the morning?
You'd then be able to use two hours of creation
in the morning to pursue whatever it is you're interested in pursuing, and you'd still have
two hours at night to watch a movie or a few episodes of whatever you're binging currently.
The reason to do the creation in the morning is again
because this is when your willpower is highest,
and there are likely zero distractions or reasons not to spend time creating.
You'll begin to go to bed at night excited about what you get to work on when you wake up,
and it again starts every morning off in the best way possible.
And personally, I wanted to make sure I was using my freshest mind,
most willpower, and highest level of energy on things that I wanted to pursue.
Working on projects for yourself before working on projects for whoever you're working for is a
great way to demonstrate to yourself what your actual priority and your values are.
Your days will already feel like a success even before most people have woken up,
and you'll have felt like you really deserved and earned that two hours at the end of the night.
Three: if you work from home, it is far too easy to continue working well into the night.
When you work from home,
even as the normal working hours passed, you can grab some dinner and just keep answering emails.
It's not like there's anything else really exciting happening at night right now anyways.
But we all know that eventually, this is going to cause burnout with a work-life imbalance,
so answer me this:
is it easier to stop working at night or to resist starting to work in the morning?
My own work day begins at 9am, and generally I find it easier to resist
checking my emails until exactly 9am over shutting down my computer at exactly 6pm.
I am much more likely to let work creep later into the night time "consumption hours," especially
if I'm in the middle of a big project or need some details clarified before the next workday.
But the morning hours are entirely work-creep free!
As long as I resist opening up my email until 9am, then this time is entirely my own.
And this provides great work-life separation.
Four: if you live alone.
I can tell you from experience that it is easy to get in a funk and start questioning
everything when you are stuck in a room by yourself all day long.
Something I have found to be useful in combating this is distracting myself with productivity.
This is self-care in my eyes.
It's great for my mentality to have a purpose - something that is driving me,
something I am working towards, even if it's small - like trying to finish a book.
Seeing actual physical progress is helpful, and it is far too easy,
especially after work when i'm de-stressing and tired
and my willpower is at an all-time low, to fall into bad habits
like binge-watching TV shows until 2 in the morning, or
eating too late at night, or not finding the time to exercise.
By committing to waking up at 4am, I'm also committing to a bedtime of 9pm at the latest.
This cuts out that "tired time" when I'm making really bad decisions,
and it's again starting off every day feeling inspired and productive.
I'm basically trading possible sad alone time with probable happy alone time.
Plus, having solid routines and trackable progress in something purposeful
is actually proven to be good for the sanity of people who live alone
or who are forced into isolation.
Five: if you absolutely hate mornings.
Yeah, I know this kind of sounds backwards, that you should wake up
early if you absolutely hate mornings, but I promise you, it'll make sense in a minute.
My guess for why you hate mornings is because you associate them with chaos:
rushing around forgetting things, constantly being late,
and feeling guilty for hitting the snooze button too many times, and doing this all to yourself.
And maybe you truly aren't even ever well-rested - because if you're not sleeping between 10pm and
2am, then you are missing out on the best quality of sleep that your circadian rhythm can provide.
Adjusting your sleeping time, though, can provide time at the
beginning of the day for you to de-stress and prepare before all the chaos starts.
There's no need to wait for self-care Sunday;
every single day can begin with giving yourself some pampering,
and you'll begin to love mornings more than any other time of day.
Plus, when else would you be able to focus on you and you alone?
What's there to hate about that?
Try this: work out to some great music or a podcast,
then shower, eat a healthy breakfast,
practice some meditation, do some journaling,
drink a good cup of coffee while watching the sun rise,
and then try to tell me how much you hate mornings.
One really good reason to NOT want to wake up in the morning
is because you would miss out on all of the wonderful things going on at night.
But nothing's going on at night right now!
Let's be honest, who's hanging out with their friends or going to a bar or restaurant or a
concert or any kind of other event?
No one.
I hope no one.
Well, I guess it depends where you live -
but if you live in a similar situation to me, and any of these points in this video
resonated with you, then perhaps now is the best time for you to try something like this.
And if you're wondering how you could possibly wake up at 4am...
Stay tuned.
'til next time!
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